More than a thousand years ago, a people known as the Anasazi lived in the North American Southwest. They produced pottery, baskets, and cloth, and engaged in trade. They were master builders and erected magnificent structures. Then in the last half of the thirteenth century, something mysterious happened. The Anasazi walked away from their world and vanished into history. But why? One place to look for clues is in northwestern New Mexico, among the ruins of Chaco Canyon. The discovery of a network of roads leading to the canyon have led some archaeologists to believe that this may have been the very center of the Anasazi universe. But what drew them to this hot, dry canyon? Peter Lourie takes us on a journey to the land of the ancient Anasazi. With archaeologist Gwinn Vivian as his guide, he travels the desert Southwest and finds a land as mysterious as the Anasazi themselves. With a lively text and dramatic full-color illustrations, here is a true adventure to find traces of an ancient people whom some Native Americans today call their ancestors.