Page "Ancient Pueblo Peoples" Paragraph 18

Changes in pottery composition, structure and decoration are signals of social change in the archaeological record.

This is particularly true as the peoples of the American Southwest began to leave their traditional homes and migrate south.

According to archaeologists Patricia Crown and Steadman Upham, the appearance of the bright colors on Salada Polychromes in the 14th century may reflect religious or political alliances on a regional level.

Late 14th and 15th century pottery from central Arizona, widely traded in the region, has colors and designs which may derive from earlier ware by both Ancestral Pueblo and Mogollon peoples.