Mesa Verde Subsistence Patterns from Basketmaker to Pueblo III

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Abstract
Prehistoric use of flora and fauna in the Mesa Verde area is examined by coprolitc, flotation, pollen, and faunal analyses. Data from Basketmaker III (A.D. 470) to Pueblo III (A.D. 1250) are used to illustrate several trends through time in the changing exploitive pattern of the Anasazi. The major dietary trends are increase in use of seed crops and plants and animals common to disturbed areas, and the decrease in use of squash, pinyon nuts, and animals common to climax forests. These shifts in the subsistence strategy are attributed to population pressure and human caused ecological disturbance from swidden farming methods.