As mentioned above, the Anasazi Culture probably developed from the Archaic cultures, the Cochise and the Oshara. Therefore, an exact birth date of the Anasazi Culture cannot be given, most scientists, however, agree to date the beginning of the Anasazi Culture at about 200 B.C. Archaeologists have defined numerous classification systems subdivided into a sequence of developmental stages. Many classification systems have been created over the years because scientists were unable to agree on a single classification. The two most commonly used classifications are the "Pecos Classification" and the "Robert's Classification". In 1927, a first conference was held at Pecos, New Mexico, where archaeologists devised the Pecos Classification for dating the Anasazi history. Due to this classification, the Anasazi culture was subdivided into two periods, the Basketmaker Period and the Pueblo Period. Both again were subdivided into several periods, the Basketmaker I Period, the Basketmaker II Period, the Basketmaker III Period, the Pueblo I Period, the Pueblo II Period, the Pueblo III Period, the Pueblo IV Period and the Pueblo V Period. In fact, the term "Anasazi" was only introduced later, in about 1936, to describe the "Basketmaker-Pueblo" continuum, as scientists discovered that these cultural stages belonged to the same culture which underwent a steady development. The term "Anasazi" has several different meanings. It is a Navaho word meaning, depending on pronunciation and translation, either something like " enemy ancestors", "ancient people who are not us", or "ancient ones". The Hopi Indians, though, take offence to the term "Anasazi", preferring "Hisatsinom", meaning "those who came before" or "people of long ago". The Robert’s Classification is a simplification of the Pecos Classification, subdividing the Anasazi Culture into Basketmaker, Modified Basketmaker, Developmental Pueblo, Great Pueblo, Regressive Pueblo and Historic Pueblo. 


The simplification is based on dropping the numerical designation, because development differed in every area and therefore was not synchronous throughout the Southwest. The division into these numerous periods was based on the presence, absence and the development of such elements as basketry, pottery, architecture, weapons, and other items. During its development the Anasazi Culture spread over a large territory of deep canyons, rock palisades, high mesas and open desert of what is today the Four Corners Region. This is where the four states Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet. 


9 The following map shows the distribution of the different tribes. 
The neighbours of the Anasazi are the Hohokam to the southwest, who lived in the river valleys in the southern desert, and the Mogollan who lived to the southeast. Scholars primarily distinguish these cultures by their pottery and their architecture. In the border regions of the prevailing cultures, scientists discovered that there were cultures showing traits from at least two of the three major traditions. Scientists gave these cultures the names Sinagua, whose territory is southwest of the Anasazi, showing traits from all three major cultures, and Salado, south of the Anasazi, showing traits of two major cultures, the Anasazi and the Mogollan. 

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