The Archaic Southwest was the culture of the southwestern United States between 6500 BC and 200 AD (approximately).
The Paleo-Indian tradition before that dates from 10,500 BC to 7500 BC. The Southwestern United States during the Archaic time frame can be identified or defined culturally in two separate ways:
Archaic cultural traditions include:
Many contemporary cultural traditions exist within the southwest, but there are four major ones.