We have been near Four Corners, the only place in the United States where four states meet at a common point, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. This area is known for the archeological sites that have been found, more than in any other area. Mesa Verde may be the most famous of all of these areas. Mesa Verde has been named a World Heritage Site and is one of our National Parks. It is located just a few miles east of Cortez, Colorado. The entire region has been populated for several thousand years and probably the most well known group used to be referred to as Anasazi. The politically correct term for these people is now Ancestral Puebloan. This group has lived in Mesa Verde Country from about AD 1 to AD 1300. The last 100-200 years of this period are probably the most famous, the era of the cliff dwellings. The majority of time these people lived in this area they lived on the mesa tops, predominantly in pit houses. A pit house is a large hole dug into the earth with posts to support roof beams and small logs and brush which are then covered with mud. You have an effective dwelling that remains relatively cool in the hot summers and is easily warmed with a small fire in the winters. The cliff dwellings get all the attention however. These people moved away from this area and went south. The reasons for the migration are not well understood but it is known that there was a protracted period of drought and the ability to raise crops was greatly diminished. It is possible that the land had become exhausted by the increased populations and it was becoming increasingly more difficult to find game as well.
The canyons have huge sandstone layers running through the canyon walls and in places the sandstone has eroded leaving a large overhanging roof area and a natural cave like depression. In these depressions on steep canyon walls is where the cliff dwellings were built. The largest of the dwellings have as many as 150 rooms and were remarkably well built. Stones were fitted together and mortared into place and in the dry protected caves the edifices have lasted about 800 years. After hiking down to one of these dwellings on paved trails and concrete stair steps you have to wonder how these people ever managed to live there when all they had were chiseled out toe and finger holds to climb up and down these walls. It is no wonder that the child mortality is estimated to be 50% prior to age 5! The stone overhangs still have soot stains from ancient fires and in places you can see hand prints and traces of prehistoric art. Many of the rooms were interconnected with tunnels. While the large cliff dwellings get all of the attention, the vast majority of these dwellings consisted of one to five rooms. The large complexes were rare.
While driving to the Mesa Verde visitor center we were struck by the number of dead trees all over the mesa. During the past 12 years there have been at least three major fires, all started by lightning which is very common here in Colorado. Approximately 50% of the park has burned in this time period. While fire is not new to this area, these fires were unique, they were hot fires! The National Park Service has had a fire policy that emphasized control and fire retardation. This policy was selected to protect and preserve the archeological treasures that exist in this region. Consequently, many areas of the park have or had an abundance of growth which translates to a fuel rich region. Instead of smaller fires that quickly burn themselves out, these fires did not want to quit. We were told that in one area that burned the trees would take 200-400 years to grow back. One positive aspect of the fires is that the archeologists are out while the ground is still hot searching for as yet undiscovered sites. The absence of foliage makes many minor sites easier to find!
The canyons have huge sandstone layers running through the canyon walls and in places the sandstone has eroded leaving a large overhanging roof area and a natural cave like depression. In these depressions on steep canyon walls is where the cliff dwellings were built. The largest of the dwellings have as many as 150 rooms and were remarkably well built. Stones were fitted together and mortared into place and in the dry protected caves the edifices have lasted about 800 years. After hiking down to one of these dwellings on paved trails and concrete stair steps you have to wonder how these people ever managed to live there when all they had were chiseled out toe and finger holds to climb up and down these walls. It is no wonder that the child mortality is estimated to be 50% prior to age 5! The stone overhangs still have soot stains from ancient fires and in places you can see hand prints and traces of prehistoric art. Many of the rooms were interconnected with tunnels. While the large cliff dwellings get all of the attention, the vast majority of these dwellings consisted of one to five rooms. The large complexes were rare.
While driving to the Mesa Verde visitor center we were struck by the number of dead trees all over the mesa. During the past 12 years there have been at least three major fires, all started by lightning which is very common here in Colorado. Approximately 50% of the park has burned in this time period. While fire is not new to this area, these fires were unique, they were hot fires! The National Park Service has had a fire policy that emphasized control and fire retardation. This policy was selected to protect and preserve the archeological treasures that exist in this region. Consequently, many areas of the park have or had an abundance of growth which translates to a fuel rich region. Instead of smaller fires that quickly burn themselves out, these fires did not want to quit. We were told that in one area that burned the trees would take 200-400 years to grow back. One positive aspect of the fires is that the archeologists are out while the ground is still hot searching for as yet undiscovered sites. The absence of foliage makes many minor sites easier to find!
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