The southwest was home to representatives from several north american indian language families including hokan uto aztecan tanoan keresan kiowa tanoan penutian and athabaskan the hokan speaking yuman peoples were the westernmost residents of the region they lived in the river valleys and the higher elevations of the basin and range system there. The american southwest has a dry climate with little rain so tribes had to be creative to grow crops like beans and squash for instance the quechan kwuht san people planted crops in narrow. The ancestral pueblo people lived in the southwestern region of the modern united states they constructed elaborate buildings and began the american farming tradition