How did Navajo and Apache farming practices change after Spanish colonization?

Following Spanish colonization, Navajo and Apache agricultural practices underwent significant expansion through the selective incorporation of new resources and techniques. While these groups had previously engaged in farming indigenous crops, the colonial era introduced a variety of new cultigens and livestock that were integrated into their existing economies.123

Key changes included:

• New Livestock: The adoption of sheep, cattle, horses, and burros significantly altered their economic and subsistence patterns.213
• New Cultigens: The repertoire of crops expanded to include wheat, melons, apricots, peaches, and new varieties of beans.2
• Technological Acquisition: Apachean groups selectively adopted dry-land agricultural techniques from the Spanish and neighboring Indigenous communities.1

While some Apachean bands, such as the Chiricahua and Mescalero, continued to rely primarily on hunting and gathering, others moved toward a more settled way of life by incorporating these colonial additions. Throughout this period, these groups maintained their unique tribal identities while engaging in a long process of cultural remodeling.31