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Mesa Verde Over 4,000 identified sites
within the 52,000 acre National Park provide a fascinating glimpse into life of the
Ancestral Puebloan people (formerly known as Anasazi) between 600 and 1300 AD. |
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Shot with Olympus C2100UZ
9/23/2004
3:41:20 PM
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Cliff Dwellings Although the
cliff dwellings are the most well known, they were only built and occupied during approximately 100
years of the roughly 700 years the Ancestral Puebloans inhabited this area.
For most of that period, they lived in Pithouses and, later Kivas and Pueblos
built on the tops of the mesas where the society matured from hunter-gatherer to
farming and hunting.
The dwellings built into the cliffs have survived better
due to being better protected from the elements. |
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C2100UZ
9/23/2004
4:24:45 PM
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Spruce Tree House The third largest
cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park was probably home to about 80 people.
Built over a period of approximately 70 years, it contained around 130 rooms and
8 Kivas.
The ladder sticking up out of the floor leads to a Kiva, or ceremonial
room below.
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C2100UZ
9/23/2004
2:18:43 PM
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Spruce Tree House Some of
the earliest Pueblos show less precisely shaped building blocks than later construction.
Sandstone blocks were used in building the Pueblos, held together with a motor of
mud and water.
Later construction is evidenced by well shaped blocks and
very straight walls, vertically and horizontally. Some buildings were up to three stories
tall.
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C2100UZ
9/23/2004
2:25:31 PM
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Spruce Tree House Some interior walls were
"plastered" and decorated with clan, personal or tribal symbols. As they left no
written history, we will probably never know the meanings of most of the symbols
found on the walls and the pottery and pottery shards left behind. |
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C2100UZ
9/23/2004
2:27:07 PM
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Spruce Tree House Later
periods of building saw the introduction of round towers to the blocky dwellings.
Rather than building with cut sandstone, they used improved mortar to hold the
abundant rocks in place. Eons of water roaring through the ancient canyons
tumbled rocks into a huge variety of shapes and sizes.
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C2100UZ
9/23/2004
2:31:50 PM
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Spruce Tree House A Kiva, or ceremonial room,
was at the center of ceremonial life for the clan. The sipapu or fire pit, reflector and
ventilator shaft were generally oriented along a North-South axis.
The Kiva
was entered by a ladder through a hole in the roof. You can see the upper end of such
a ladder in the third photo from the top. |
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C2100UZ
9/23/2004
2:37:49 PM
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Other Cliff Dwellings It seems
that at every turn on Mesa Top Loop Road on the Chapin Mesa, you catch a glimpse of
another dwelling. They range in size and conditions, exhibiting differing levels of
construction quality. Each is fascinating in its own way making this trip worth your time
if you feel the history of our country in your blood. |
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C2100UZ
9/23/2004
3:27:38 PM
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Other Cliff Dwellings |
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C2100UZ
9/23/2004
3:28:24 PM
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Other Cliff Dwellings When I
see sites like this, I can't help but try to imagine the daily life when they were full of
humanity.
Try to imagine the effort necessary to leave the pueblo and reach
the top of the mesa to farm or hunt.
Or the effort needed to haul building materials
up to the caverns.
I'll try to remember this the next time I complain about having to drive 16 miles to
the store... |
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C2100UZ
9/23/2004
3:29:09 PM
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Other Cliff Dwellings |
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C2100UZ
9/23/2004
3:31:02 PM
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C2100UZ
9/23/2004
3:33:32 PM
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Other Cliff Dwellings |
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C2100UZ
9/23/2004
3:41:01 PM
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Other Cliff Dwellings If you
look closely, you can see the finger and toe holds drilled into the rock between the
pueblos in this "split-level" site. |
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C2100UZ
9/23/2004
3:41:34 PM
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