Farmers were probably among those who were most affected. Obviously, one needs water to farm, and “drought led to reduced harvests.” (“The History of The Anasazi”) As the article acutely points out, the farmers were affected by the lessened return of their crops. The drought made it so that the farmers could barely even farm. The shortage of crops then creates an effect on much of the village, like the women and children. You see, “women spent hours each day grinding corn into flour.” (“Who Were the Anasazi?”) They spent an enormous portion of their day doing something that was supplied by something that was greatly reduced. Sure, they also weaved baskets or sandals and made clay pottery, but if there's no rain to make mud and grow fibrous grasses and reeds, women couldn't have done that either. As an effect of the drought and climate change, “widespread famine occurred.” (“Collapse: Chaco Canyon”) A few sites discussed about this area of the fall rather briefly, letting me draw a few conclusions. The Anasazi suffered from years of starvation, and most, if not all, of them probably had malnutrition. The adults grew thinner and weaker, making it harder to hunt wild animals or gather edible plants that managed to grow. The children grew up shorter and skinnier. Everyone was more susceptible to disease, and people likely died from them. The hunger itself would've been bad enough, but any lost family members or friends worsened the
Farmers were probably among those who were most affected. Obviously, one needs water to farm, and “drought led to reduced harvests.” (“The History of The Anasazi”) As the article acutely points out, the farmers were affected by the lessened return of their crops. The drought made it so that the farmers could barely even farm. The shortage of crops then creates an effect on much of the village, like the women and children. You see, “women spent hours each day grinding corn into flour.” (“Who Were the Anasazi?”) They spent an enormous portion of their day doing something that was supplied by something that was greatly reduced. Sure, they also weaved baskets or sandals and made clay pottery, but if there's no rain to make mud and grow fibrous grasses and reeds, women couldn't have done that either. As an effect of the drought and climate change, “widespread famine occurred.” (“Collapse: Chaco Canyon”) A few sites discussed about this area of the fall rather briefly, letting me draw a few conclusions. The Anasazi suffered from years of starvation, and most, if not all, of them probably had malnutrition. The adults grew thinner and weaker, making it harder to hunt wild animals or gather edible plants that managed to grow. The children grew up shorter and skinnier. Everyone was more susceptible to disease, and people likely died from them. The hunger itself would've been bad enough, but any lost family members or friends worsened the