The Paleoindian Southwest

A panoramic view of research on the first peoples of the Southwest

The North American Southwest looms large in American archaeology, well known for the agricultural societies that dominated its austere landscape in later times. However, the traces of its earliest occupants, Native American ancestors who shared the ancient landscape with mammoth and giant bison toward the end of the last Ice Age, remain more obscure.

The Paleoindian Southwest provides the first comprehensive overview focused on the earliest human occupants of the Southwest, exploring past investigations, the current state of research, and directions for future discovery. Experts in the field examine individual archaeological sites—some classic and some newly discovered—as well as broader patterns of human behavior across varied regions of both the United States and Mexico. Chapter authors present new and unexpected discoveries, ranging from a gomphothere kill to fossil footprints, pushing the boundaries of the Paleoindian period and investigating nontraditional archaeological data. This collection is a critical resource and landmark volume for those interested in Southwest prehistory, Paleoindian archaeology, and Ice Age human ecology.