Buy Now, Pay Later
As low as
$5
/ mo
Learn more
- – 4-month term
- – No impact on credit to apply
- – Instant approval decision
- – Secure and straightforward checkout
Ready to go? Add this product to your cart and select a plan during checkout.
Payment plans are offered through our trusted finance partners Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, Apple Pay, and PayTomorrow. No-credit-needed leasing options through Acima may also be available at checkout.
Learn more about financing & leasing here.
Free shipping on this product
30-day returns
Learn more
This item is eligible for return within 30 days of receipt
To qualify for a full refund, items must be returned in their original, unused condition. If an item is returned in a used, damaged, or materially different state, you may be granted a partial refund.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
Availability:
20 left in stock
Arrives
Apr 17 – Apr 21
Recently Viewed
Description
An exuberant, hands-on fly-on-the-wall account that combines the thrill of canyoneering and rock climbing with the intellectual sleuthing of archaeology to explore the Anasazi. David Roberts describes the culture of the Anasazi - the name means "enemy ancestors" in Navajo - who once inhabited the Colorado Plateau and whose modern descendants are the Hopi Indians of Arizona. Archaeologists, Roberts writes, have been puzzling over the Anasazi for more than a century, trying to determine the environmental and cultural stresses that caused their society to collapse 700 years ago. He guides us through controversies in the historical record, among them the haunting question of whether the Anasazi committed acts of cannibalism. Roberts's book is full of up-to-date thinking on the culture of the ancient people who lived in the harsh desert country of the Southwest. Read more
Frequently asked questions
If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is:
Apr 17 – Apr 21
Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
- Klarna Financing
- Affirm Pay in 4
- Affirm Financing
- Afterpay Financing
- PayTomorrow Financing
- Financing through Apple Pay
Learn more about financing & leasing here.
Similar Products
Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Paperback
The book is an easy read, very personal feel. David Roberts was a master at weaving personal stories into his instructive history of the ancient Pueblo and and the quest for knowledge about them. He puts a modern context on the thousands of ruins across the Southwest. Best book to start with if you’re going to hike the Four Corners looking for old ruins and petroglyphs. Very accessible to the reader.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2023 by Ron P
Format: Kindle
A mesmerizing and exquisitely written account of the Anasazi culture which has fascinated me from my initial exposure to it on a tour of Mesa Verde and Keet Seel to a far more intimate and ethereal experience on backpacking trips with my son through Grand Gulch, Butler Wash and into the canyons of Cedar Mesa which are, truly, outdoor museums and national treasures.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2023 by Robert Van Rensselaer
Format: Kindle
The copyright on the book is 1996. I enjoyed the book. It is an excellent look at the historical development of Southwestern archaeology. I enjoyed the tour of some sites I have heard about but never seen. I would not have bought the book, however, if I had know it was written in the 1990s . I was looking for the advances in the science since I am familiar with the state of the archeology at that point. Amazon should post the Copyright dates of non fiction books in the description.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2021 by Michael Conn
Format: Paperback
Excellent book. In depth information. Extremely well written. Best book on the subject.
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2026 by Patti Simons
Format: Hardcover
I have visited many of the Ancient Pueblo ruins in the SW and have been looking for a book on the puzzling history of these people. Most of those I have read have provided but disconnected fragments of this complex tale. This is the one you will want to read in order to acquire some grasp of this subject. Congenially written it combines solid information of the history along with beautiful descriptions of the harsh, remote landscape.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2025 by tele
Format: Hardcover
A superior read! For anyone who has an interest in the Southwest and the mysteries of the prehistoric Americans who lived there, this book will draw you in and bring insights into the Anasazi, or "old ones", indeed, insights into how you look at your own life, as well. David Roberts builds upon his own explorations of the 4 corners area of the US with solid narrative, solider science and, remarkably, with what can only be termed "poetry" in describing the discoveries he, and others, have found in this remarkable volume about an equally remarkable, and little known, region of our nation. I raced through the book, as revelation tumbles upon revelation. Now, I can begin reading it again.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2017 by Kirby Timmons
Format: Paperback
I was looking for an easy-to-read book that would still provide solid recent science about the great civilizations of the American Southwest. This book is now almost 30 years old, but it was still one of the newer ones I could find for the general reader (as opposed to archaeology scholars). It was an engaging read, although I found the author's focus on himself and his own adventures a rather annoying distraction from the "meat" of the subject (who these people were, what they were like, why they appear to have vanished). He does a decent job setting out the various theories and perspectives on these topics, though, and I was surprised how much I'd actually absorbed by the end of the book. Could have done with less editorializing on his part, though, especially since he really isn't an authority in this area--just a dedicated hobbyist.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2021 by liseinthegrove
Format: Paperback
We're with Roberts scrambling along the edge of a cliff exploring the fringes of an ancient dwelling as he discovers an artifact - a pot that possibly hasn't been seen since it was abandoned hundreds of years ago. And so it starts even in the prologue with the author inviting you along on his explorations revealing the wonder of this ancient society that suddenly disappeared around 700 years ago. Roberts is a fearless climber who is intensively interested in the history of the Anasazi cliff dwellers of the Southwest. Fortunately for us, he is an adept writer that can have us feel like we're alongside of him. Meanwhile, the depth of knowledge of previous explorers doesn't tire, and we share in the excitement as he sees their marks. Well, we're simultaneously excited and uncomfortable as the author struggles with balancing his passion for history with his passion for leaving the sites undisturbed. For example, even while he's excited to see the marks of his predecessors, he's loath to leave his own mark on these places he discovers. Unlike those he followed, he develops an intense concern for the sustainability of the artifacts he discovers. Both ethically (since current tribes treat these places with reverence) and historically driven to leave things as he found them. Above all, this book provides a balanced view of who these people were both culturally as well as in the grand scheme of society. He shares the theories of their origination and evolution to current day civilizations and possible ties to those of the past. With so much still unknown, we're engaged by the mystery and immersion in his travels of discovery.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2010 by joiseyshowaa