Mesa Verde and the cliff dwellings May 18-20

Mesa Verde National Park near Cortez, CO is a sight not to be missed if you ever get out this way. Not only are the historic ruins amazing, but the park rangers are excellent; each bringing his/her own interpretation to the events that happened on this land (deemed hallowed by Indian descendents). The park is big, has a wonderful museum and a number of different sites, ruins, some of which can be hiked to, some of which can be self-explored and some that come w/guided ranger tours. The tours were the best!

A brief history for those of you interested. The forefathers of the Anasazi Indians (now called Ancesteral Puebloans) came from Russia on boat/land across the Bering Strait and nomadically roamed the western US 10,000-15,000 BC. Evidence, not here, but in the Southwest, has been found in arrowheads. These people hunted bison and mammoths, picked berries and nuts and went where the food was. Evidence in this area shows activity beginning about 1 AD. Until approximately 500 AD they learned agriculture, grew corn and squash, hunted with spears, lived in something called a "pit house" (a mud and stick house) whose floor was several feet below the surface level. Baskets were made (the yucca plant), no pottery.

Around 500 AD they discovered the bow and arrow; life changed for the better. Similar lifestyle but better productivity allowed for larger families/villages; beans added to the fields; pottery developed (helped carry water etc). Around 750 AD evidence of the pueblo as a living space (stone walls w/primitive clay mortar), again on the surface of the land. By 900-1100AD, multi-unit pueblos w/large ceremonial "kivas" (a circular, mostly sub-terrainian stone building for religeous and social purposes). Ruins of many of these still exist.

By 1100 some (not all; many still lived on the surface) Indians had discovered the possibility of living in the rocks. Now, Mesa Verde is particularly well suited for this. The surface (above the cliff dwellings) runs at approximately a 7% grade North to South and, at this time the soil was rich for growing (dry farming was the term used) and moisture/rainfall was greater than it is now. Because of the sandstone (porous) layered on top of shale(non-porous), the water would seep through the rocks and they had water for the dwelling units. Most of the dwellings are located on the eastern side of the canyons; during the summer when it was hot, the sun was overhead, they had shade. During the winter, when it got very cold (-20), they had sun crossing lower on the western horizon which shown into their dwellings. So they would be planting/hunting on the surface and return to the dwellings after work. Around 1250-1300AD they slowly left their dwellings to live near the Rio Grande river. Why? Some say a bad drought, others the soil had been used up, others say they were nomadic by nature and "It was time to go". Most agree the Indians left w/little urgency, and left enough items, as if they planned to return some day. That return may have been interrupted by the Spainish. Many Indians today return to this area as a sacred place; almost return as in a pilgramage.

It was quite the place.