Lecture. Eric Blinman (former director Museum of New Mexico, Office of Archaeological Studies). Puebloan peoples are stereotyped under a single label, which is a profound injustice to their rich cultural diversity. This diversity also implies the existence of distinct histories, and the unique setting of the Galisteo Basin provides an opportunity to explore these histories. The uniqueness of the Galisteo Basin is largely due to its susceptibility to climate change and the interaction of the environment with human economies. Tiwa, Tewa, Tano, Towa, and Keres cultural groups were well established in north central New Mexico at the beginning of the twelfth century, enjoying a stable climate pattern that supported a cultural florescence in the Four Corners region. Drought and a change in the monsoon rainfall pattern in the mid-to-late 12th century disrupted the stable cultural geography, and the Galisteo Basin was opened to agricultural homesteading. By the mid-twelfth century, more than five generations before the Mesa Verde abandonment, immigrants began colonizing the Basin. More than 200 years of conflicts-of-interest and conflict ensued, resulting in the 15th century formation of the Galisteo Basin Pueblos, and giving form to the cultural diversity encountered during European colonization.