Approximately 1,400 years ago some of the Native Americans from the south-eastern corner of Utah lived in cave dwellings. The park is near the area now called "The four Corners." On the 30th of June 2011 we visited Mesa Verde National Park.
When approaching the site of the dwellings, it was impossible to know that they were there.
This "invisible" lifestyle allowed these "Pueblo Indians" (as the Spaniards called them) to live peaceful agrarian lifestyles.
In the past, archeologists called them "Anasazi" which when translated from Navajo means "the ancient foreigners." The Park Service literature now refers to them as "Ancestral Puebloans."
The indigenous people of Mesa Verde grew crops and hunted game on the mesa tops.
The area called the "Cliff Palace" is the most spectacular.
To get to the dwellings, it is necessary to take a gently sloping narrow path that skirts the edge of the canyon. To the left is the canyon wall and on the right is a sheer drop to the canyon floor.
They lived in houses built under the overhangs. In the summer, the sun did not penetrate the caves so they were cool. In the winter, the sun warmed the stone & adobe structures to provide warmth.
Some of the structures were three and four stories high.
It is believed that each family lived in a separate dwelling, adding rooms as the need arose.
It is believed that the occupants of Mesa Verde were the ancestors of the Hopi Tribes that currently live in the area.
Archeology has yielded many clues about their tools, weapons, and even trade. However, since there is no written history, it is impossible to know about their social, political, or religious lives.
This park is a definitely a must see!!
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