Sometimes cultures adapted by moving to new locations. The Anasazi culture thrived from 100 B.C. until sometime around 800 years ago when they abandoned their farmsteads and moved to the pueblos of Arizona and New Mexico. Researchers now believe they moved south in response to decreased rainfall and an increased population.

In recent times human cultures learned how to adapt the environment to meet their needs. Las Vegas, Nevada, and Phoenix, Arizona, are two of the fastest growing cities in the United States. To satisfy the basic needs of water, shelter, and food in the cities, man has had to divert water from the Colorado River and provide electrical power to keep air conditioners working when outside temperatures reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit for days on end. Food is transported from other cities, states, and even countries.

In this activity you will learn about two different cultures with two different ways of life that inhabited the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument area simultaneously since the late 1800’s.