One of history's most gripping and at the same time most dimly understood adventure stories deals with the peopling of the Americas by immigrants from Asia, their adaptation to the new land, and their ultimate defeat by latecomers from Europe. Physically the American Southwest occupies only a small part of the stage on which the drama took place. It is a significant part, however, because the region's semiarid climate, which delays decomposition, has made it a rich source of aboriginal records. In addition, it is here that troops from the United States and Mexico at last combined to bring about the final defeat of the long-resistant native people. Defeat - but not destruction. The point needs emphasis. The Indians of the Southwest are still a force to be reckoned with.
- From The Southwest by David Lavender
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