Virgin Anasazi

The Virgin Anasazi were the westernmost Ancestral Puebloan group in the American Southwest. They occupied the area in and around the Virgin River and Muddy Rivers, the western Colorado Plateau, the Moapa Valley and were bordered to the south by the Colorado River. They occupied areas in present-day Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. Their occupation of the area lasted from about 1 CE to around 1200 CE, which according to the Pecos Classification places the occupation from Early Basketmaker II Era to Early Pueblo III periods. Their neighbors were the Fremont culture to the north and the Kayenta Anasazi to the east.

Regional Distribution

The Virgin Anasazi occupied three regional areas:

Plateau

The word plateau refers to the Colorado Plateau. This area is diverse in its natural resources and environs. It is characterized by conifer forests at upper elevations, and juniper and pinon pine zones at lower elevations. There are also areas of desert plains where sagebrush is one of the most common plants. This area includes parts of the Grand Canyon and the eastern Great Basin.