Turn the dial to learn more about each time period

Paleoindian Period (10,000-5,500 B.C.)

Throughout this period ancestral peoples were frequently moving across the region. They followed migrating megafauna, like mammoths, and sources of water. In the archaeological record of the Paleoindian period we find evidence of large spear points used to hunt big game and the short-term camp sites where hunter-gatherers lived.

Formative Period (A.D. 500-1375)

Around A.D. 500 peoples in the region began making pottery and adopted the bow and arrow into their hunting tool belt. During the Formative period southeast New Mexico was abuzz with activity. Many people were moving into and out of the area, introducing new ideas, foods, and tools to the existing residents. The archaeological record shows us that ancestral peoples were coming together to establish villages, some of which may have been used as centers for trade among the Pueblos to the north and west and the Plains peoples to the east.

Archaic Period (5,500 B.C.-A.D. 500)

During the Archaic period a warming environment forced ancestral peoples to adapt and adopt new ways of life. Peoples who once hunted mammoth, mastodon, and Bison antiquus were expanding their diets to include more animals and plants. A more holistic diet meant moving less frequently, and seasonal settlements began appearing. The archaeological record shows signs larger communities and a more diverse tool belt that included grinding stones and smaller projectile points.

Protohistoric and Historic Periods (A.D. 1375-Present Day)

Beginning around A.D. 1450 southeast New Mexico experienced a depopulation event, where many residents migrated away from the region. During this period few cultural objects appear in the archaeological record, suggesting that not many people lived in the area. Throughout the 1500s, Spanish colonizers traveled through the area and recorded their interactions with the Jumano and Apache peoples.

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A.D. 500

5,500 B.C.

A.D. 1375