Mesa Verde, CO

Our plan was to continue on to Bryce and Zion from Arches. However, the weather was turning and rain with temperatures dipping into the twenties scared us off to the south. We looked at the map and I saw Mesa Verde in Colorado. Hell, we don't have a schedule; and we are not supposed to have an itinerary either. This by the way is very difficult to achieve. As you travel it is natural to plan your next stop, and you get forced into a mode that naturally takes you to that stop. Well, we broke that mode and ended up at Mesa Verde. What a place! This has go to be one place you must visit! We have all seen pictures of this ruin (above). This is Cliff Palace, inhabited by the Anasazi Indians. The pueblos and Hopi are descendants. But, they will take great offense to the name Anasazi. This name was given to these people by the Navajo and translates to "Ancient enemy".

The Cliff Palace once housed as many as 30 families, although most of the Anasazi lived up on top of the Mesa. Apparently these people used the cliff dwellings as storage for grain and seeds, as well as places to perform ceremonies. They were very religious folk. During the peak between 4,000 and 5,000 people lived in this area. There are over 2,000 structures that have been found. As you drive around the park you can see cliff dwelling everywhere.

This dwelling is the Balcony House in a different part of the Mesa. There is some mystery surrounding this structure because there is very little evidence of fire in most of the rooms. One speculation is that this was a nursery: mainly due to the balcony wall on the outside of most of the structure (most of these dwellings had no walls to keep you from falling off and into the valley below; sometimes to your death). All tours required a ticket and Ranger guide. But, they were all great. We were able to tour 3 spectacular dwellings. Unfortunately, half of the park closes after Labor day (open Memorial day). If you come here you will have to battle the masses during the busy season. But, we highly recommend it.

The Spruce Treehouse was the final dwelling we toured. You can walk down to it from the visitors center. The poles rising out of the ground are the access ladders into the Kivas. Kivas are round rooms dug into the ground and covered where the Anasazi held their spiritual ceremonies. They have a fire in the center and ventilation tunnels supplying fresh air with deflectors in front of the fresh air entering the Kiva so the entering air does not cause the fire to spark up or blow smoke in your face.
The Anasazi disappeared from Mesa Verde in the late 1200's. No one really knows why. The White man thinks it was due to prolonged drought. Or, perhaps over population and over utilization of natural resources (firewood, animals, and soil). Nevertheless, they left without much of a trace, and they had no written language. This unexpected side trip was especially valuable for McLeod since we had just finished a History section on the Anasazi. Stay tuned for my next entry as we hired a native Navajo for a tour of Canyon De Shelly and learn what the Navajo think happened to the Anasazi.