Colorado Plateau?

Is some POD allowed Horses to exist in America and allow growth of native civilizations past the Aztec/Atjunta(;)) level how possible is a civilization on the Colorado Plateau?
 
There was a civilization on the Colorado Plateau. The Anasazi and other Pueblo peoples thrived on the plateau for a while before drought and internal warfare led to their decline around 1100. I don't think horses would help them because there was still very little arable land in the Rio Grande and Colorado valleys and there weren't really that much huntable prey in the area. The domestication of javelinas would go further in saving the Pueblo peoples from their decline than horses.
 
There was a civilization on the Colorado Plateau. The Anasazi and other Pueblo peoples thrived on the plateau for a while before drought and internal warfare led to their decline around 1100. I don't think horses would help them because there was still very little arable land in the Rio Grande and Colorado valleys and there weren't really that much huntable prey in the area. The domestication of javelinas would go further in saving the Pueblo peoples from their decline than horses.
I knew about the natives but I was thinking of an even more stable government, heck even an Empire. Although I guess thats been shot down. But lets say they domesticate the Javelinas what could happen next?
 
I knew about the natives but I was thinking of an even more stable government, heck even an Empire. Although I guess thats been shot down. But lets say they domesticate the Javelinas what could happen next?
??But they HAD stable government until climate change killed them, and what you could reasonably call an empire.

They really, however, were about as big as the land would support - even in optimal climatary conditions. It is just not the sort of place where you could get the huge populations of the Mexico valley, or even large populations of the various river valleys of the US.
 
Is some POD allowed Horses to exist in America and allow growth of native civilizations past the Aztec/Atjunta(;)) level how possible is a civilization on the Colorado Plateau?
Well, as was already pointed out, there was a civilization there, not only icnluding the Anasazi and other well known Puebloan people, but also the Fremont in the more northerly sections of the plateau. Secondly, the introduction of horses to America in the first place is by itself a major POD which will have a large amount of other effects on the Americas, so it's difficult to predict anything about such an alternate universe beyond broad strokes. Thirdly, I agree with the other posters conclusion that horses would not by themselves alleviate much of the environmental factors facing the people's of the Colorado Plateau.
 
What about domestication of Bison? Maybe not nearly as useful as a good pony for getting around, but as a draft animal or stable food source?
 
The vast majority of the Colorado Plateau can't support bison or horses. And javelinas wouldn't really help the Ancestral Pueblans, as they already had domesticated turkey. Plus, to echo everyone else, there was civilization here, and a highly succesful one at that. The Great North American Drought and population pressures forced the Ancestral Pueblans to migrate.
 
What about domestication of Bison? Maybe not nearly as useful as a good pony for getting around, but as a draft animal or stable food source?
Bison is a Great Plains animal, unsuited for the high arid climate of the Colorado Plateau.
 
Bison is a Great Plains animal, unsuited for the high arid climate of the Colorado Plateau.

True. Same with any large grazers without modern methods. I was tossing Bison out as a possible substitute for horses since they are at least a native species and it wouldn't be impossible for a Pueblo farmer in the region to have kept a couple around as beasts of burden had they been available. Might be some fun speculation. What would the Maize cultures have been like with plows?
 
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