Anasazi (The X-Files)

"**Anasazi**"
"Anasazi"
The X-Files episode
	A burnt alien corpse, found in a deserted boxcar.
Episode no.	Season 2; Episode 25
Directed by	R. W. Goodwin
Story by	David Duchovny; Chris Carter;
Teleplay by	Chris Carter
Production code	2X25
Original air date	May 19, 1995
Running time	45 minutes
Guest appearances
	Peter Donat as William Mulder; Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman as Albert Hosteen; Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek; William B. Davis as The Smoking Man; Bernie Coulson as Kenneth Soona / The Thinker; Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers; Dean Haglund as Richard Langly; Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike; Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Our Town"	Next →; "The Blessing Way"
	The X-Files season 2
	List of episodes

"Anasazi" is the twenty-fifth episode and season finale of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on May 19, 1995. It was written by series creator Chris Carter based on a story he developed with lead actor David Duchovny. The episode was directed by R. W. Goodwin, and featured guest appearances by Peter Donat, Nicholas Lea, Mitch Pileggi and Floyd Red Crow Westerman. The episode helped explore the overarching mythology, or fictional history of The X-Files. "Anasazi" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.1, being watched by 9.6 million households in its initial broadcast; and received positive reviews from critics.

The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, Mulder and Scully come into possession of a tape containing classified government files, and attempt to decipher its contents. Meanwhile, Mulder's mental health begins to deteriorate, and a mysterious corpse is discovered on a New Mexico reservation. "Anasazi" is part of a three-episode storyline, with the plot carrying on in the third season episodes "The Blessing Way" and "Paper Clip".

Series creator Chris Carter worked closely with series star David Duchovny, who shares a story credit with Carter for the episode. Because the series was filmed in Vancouver, the producers painted a disused quarry in Vancouver with 1,600 US gallons (6,100 L) of red paint and also composited in images shot in New Mexico and a blue sky in order to make the New Mexico rock quarry featured in the episode.