RELIGIOUS CRISIS

Information concerning this theory is sparse. No formal papers were reviewed.

Some researchers are trying to combine archeological evidence with anthropological studies of the modern pueblo Indians to make the case that the Anasazi were roiled by a religious crisis as divisive as European medieval heresies. In some scenarios, the Anasazi were pulled farther south en masse by an attractive new religion.  

Trying to recreate ideology from artifacts requires huge stretches of the imagination, but archeologists find it telling that many of the Anasazi religious structures -- like the tall cylindrical tower kivas found at Hovenweep in southeastern Utah -- were not re-established in the new homelands. Once the Anasazi left the old empire, it seems, the ideological slate was wiped clean (New York Times August 20, 1996, Tuesday, Late Edition - Final
Section C; Page 1; Column 3; Science Desk  1903 words).

 
CASE OF CHACO

The abandonment of Chaco Canyon occurred after a drought during the mid-1100s which triggered religious changes. 

 Rainfall patterns were disrupted in a way that might have made the Anasazi disillusioned with their old religion. Lack of summer rains killed corn, “the rain dances were not working anymore.”