Title Climate and culture change in North America AD 900-1600 / by William C. Foster

Published Austin : University of Texas Press, ©2012

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Description 1 online resource (xi, 220 pages) : illustrations, maps Series Clifton and Shirley Caldwell Texas heritage series ; no. 18 Clifton and Shirley Caldwell Texas heritage series ; no. 18. Contents Preface -- Introduction -- The tenth century -- The eleventh century -- The twelfth century -- The thirteenth century -- The fourteenth century -- The fifteenth century -- The sixteenth century -- Summary and conclusion Summary "Climate change is today's news, but it isn't a new phenomenon. Centuries-long cycles of heating and cooling are well documented for Europe and the North Atlantic. These variations in climate, including the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), AD 900 to 1300, and the early centuries of the Little Ice Age (LIA), AD 1300 to 1600, had a substantial impact on the cultural history of Europe. In this pathfinding volume, William C. Foster marshals extensive evidence that the heating and cooling of the MWP and LIA also occurred in North America and significantly affected the cultural history of Native peoples of the American Southwest, Southern Plains, and Southeast. Correlating climate change data with studies of archaeological sites across the Southwest, Southern Plains, and Southeast, Foster presents the first comprehensive overview of how Native American societies responded to climate variations over seven centuries. He describes how, as in Europe, the MWP ushered in a cultural renaissance, during which population levels surged and Native peoples substantially intensified agriculture, constructed monumental architecture, and produced sophisticated works of art. Foster follows the rise of three dominant cultural centers - Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, Cahokia on the middle Mississippi River, and Casas Grandes in northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico--that reached population levels comparable to those of London and Paris. Then he shows how the LIA reversed the gains of the MWP as population levels and agricultural production sharply declined; Chaco Canyon, Cahokia, and Casas Grandes collapsed; and dozens of smaller villages also collapsed or became fortresses."--PUBLISHER Additional keywords : Aboriginal or Native peoples, Indians, First Nations Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-199) and index Notes English Print version record Subject Ethnoecology -- North America Ethnoecology -- Mexico Mississippian culture -- Illinois -- American Bottom Chaco culture -- New Mexico -- Chaco Canyon Casas Grandes culture -- Mexico -- Chihuahua (State) NATURE -- Weather. SCIENCE -- Earth Sciences -- Meteorology & Climatology. SOCIAL SCIENCE -- Ethnic Studies -- Native American Studies. Casas Grandes culture Chaco culture Ethnoecology Mississippian culture SUBJECT Cahokia Mounds State Historic Park (Ill.) http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh90000503 Subject Illinois -- American Bottom Illinois -- Cahokia Mounds State Historic Park Mexico Mexico -- Chihuahua (State) New Mexico -- Chaco Canyon North America Form Electronic book LC no. 2011038882 ISBN 9780292737426 0292737424

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