An exploration into the past

From the Coastal Plain to the High Desert

July 23-24, 2014

A Guided Visit to Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde Video

Fig. 1 - Entrance to the Mesa Verde
National Park

Fig. 2 - Mesa Verde in context
Missing: the roaming bands of Utes and Apache

Fig. 3 - Entrance to the Research Center 

Fig. 4 - Museum Curator explaining the
preservation and research process to the
Crow Canyon study group

Fig. 5 - Part of the collection not on display

Fig. 6 - One of the canyons separating the mesa into "finger plateaus"
Note at the top the vertical section and the eroded incline. There is a small layer of impervious shale that separates the layers of sandstone.  As underground water from the snow melt or rain  filters down, it reaches the shale (hard clay), creating enough horizontal pressure and chemical erosion that sections of the upper rock "pop out".  This process creates the alcoves, or shallow caves, at the same level.  Many of the caves also had a natural spring filtering from the top. 

Fig. 7 - An un-built and unexplored alcove.
Perhaps the site of Paleo-Indian or archaic people. There
are hundreds throughout the park area and in the
neighboring Ute Reservation area.

Fig. 7 - The Crow Canyon group Inspecting the site of
an archaic pit-house on the mesa top. The plateaus have
thousands of sites of different periods, originally surrounded
 by fields of corn, squash, beans and other domesticated plants.

Fig. 8 - The Chief Interpreter of the Park explaining the
details of a controversial site on the plateau. Debate
continues whether it was a water reservoir or a walled
ceremonial plaza.  The Pueblo Scholars that accompanied
the Crow Canyon group think that it could be both.

BALCONY HOUSE IN THE MORNING

Fig. 9 - Balcony House, a classic XIII century cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde
The village controls the view of Soda Canyon, a tributary of the Mancos River basin. It has 38 rooms, 2 kivas, with three plazas.  The complex is 264 feet long (80 m), 39 feet deep (12 m) and 20 feet high ( 6 m). Some parts are three stories high.  Behind the dwelling and work rooms, there are cool alcove shelters and a small but reliable spring that is still flowing.  Notice the shadow cast by the mesa top, creating a comfortable environment in summer and winter.

Fig. 11 - Accessing the upper levels and
work areas behind the dwelling units

Fig. 10 - Originally, the only access from the
top was through this control tunnel built in
the crack between two boulders. It is now
the exit of the site. It is less than  3 feet in
height and 2 feet in width, and about 10
feet long. Very secure.

 

Fig. 12 - A milling station. Four "metates" and "manos"
Women would work in groups for the whole community using
 these instruments usually made out of sandstone. The grist and
flower of corn would inevitable have a lot of grit from the soft
stones. Where available, harder stones would be used. These
instruments are still in use throughout the continent

CLIFF PALACE AT DUSK

Fig. 13 - View of Cliff Palace from the mesa top

Fig. 14 - Cliff Palace as seen from the ridge at the beginning of descent.
This complex is the largest cliff dwelling in North America.  Built mostly between 1,260 and 1,280 a.D. About 150 rooms - dwellings, storage, workshops and special chambers- were built. It also has 21 kivas and 75 open areas. Notice the shade protecting the complex.

Fig. 15 - Eye level view of Cliff Palace from the entrance

Fig. 16 - The Crow Canyon study group listening to the
explanations provided by an interpreter/archaeologist

Fig. 16 - Cliff Palace from the main Kiva plaza. Some of the structures are four levels high.
The alcove is about 215 feet long by 90 feet deep and 60 feet high. Inhabited by about 120 people. There are several towers, round and square, that display the finest work of masonry. The site was abandoned by 1,300 a.D., in a process that was similar for the whole area. The access today is a comfortable path and the exit is through a narrow passage with ladders.  The original access was an almost invisible path where hand and toe holds were carved on the face of the cliff.  Imagine having to carry any load, up or down, and trying to balance your way safely. Definitely a security consideration. 

Fig. 17 - Returning to the top of the mesa from Cliff Palace. Some of the original
hand and foot holds carved on the rock can still be seen. The series of three
ladders and steps are a new convenience for today's visitors.

Key words: Texas 4th-7th grade Social Studies, Native American tribes, habitat and lifezones, cultural adaptation, Anazasi, Ancestral Pueblo, Rio Grande cultures, New Mexico and Colorado tribes, Paleo-Indians, Archaic and Classic Indians of the Southwest, Geography of the Rio Grande, Mesa Verde, Chaco, Taos, Acoma, Indian ruins, archaeological artifacts, teacher resources, Fund for Teachers, Texas.