Patterns in the Pathways: Early Historic Migrations in the Rio Grande Pueblos

Abstract

Recent archaeological research in the Southwest has led to a reassessment of migration in explaining social change. Ethnohistoric data from Southwestern Pueblos may provide better analogues for prehistoric migrations in the region than models derived from contemporary urban contexts. Documentary evidence and climatic data from the early Historic period inform on demographic, environmental, economic, and social “pushes” that motivate groups to move, and the “pulls” that influence where they resettle. Scale, structure, and distance of the movement itself are examined, as these factors affect the mechanisms by which immigrants are integrated into local settlements.