Mesa Verde National Park
Ancestral Puebloans and their world have been defined as far as possible by the archeological finds in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. The ancestral Puebloans lived in this area for more than 700 years. They and their descendants lived and flourished here eventually building elaborate stone communities in the sheltered alcoves of canyon walls. In the late 1200’s, in the span of a generation or two, they left their homes and moved away. Since there were no written transcripts of these people, it is difficult for the archeologists to determine exactly why changes occurred in the 700 years and why they left this area. This has been quite a learning experience for Sue and me since we started in 2006 in New Mexico learning about the Native Americans and the Hopi Tribe. It did show us how little we know about the Native Americans’ lifestyle, culture and beliefs. Having the opportunity to meet some of the Native Americans whose ancestors who may have lived in this area, we have gained a greater appreciation for the hardships that they had faced just to exist on a day to day basis. It has become obvious that they did have spiritual beliefs that extend into today. Ceremonies are an important part of their culture. Mesa Verde National Park is definitely a good place to obtain an understanding of the ancestral Puebloans. The Museum in the park and the Anasazi Heritage Center in Cortez gave us a good understanding of the time line of events from 100 A.D. to 1300 A.D.
Ancestral Puebloans and their world have been defined as far as possible by the archeological finds in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. The ancestral Puebloans lived in this area for more than 700 years. They and their descendants lived and flourished here eventually building elaborate stone communities in the sheltered alcoves of canyon walls. In the late 1200’s, in the span of a generation or two, they left their homes and moved away. Since there were no written transcripts of these people, it is difficult for the archeologists to determine exactly why changes occurred in the 700 years and why they left this area. This has been quite a learning experience for Sue and me since we started in 2006 in New Mexico learning about the Native Americans and the Hopi Tribe. It did show us how little we know about the Native Americans’ lifestyle, culture and beliefs. Having the opportunity to meet some of the Native Americans whose ancestors who may have lived in this area, we have gained a greater appreciation for the hardships that they had faced just to exist on a day to day basis. It has become obvious that they did have spiritual beliefs that extend into today. Ceremonies are an important part of their culture. Mesa Verde National Park is definitely a good place to obtain an understanding of the ancestral Puebloans. The Museum in the park and the Anasazi Heritage Center in Cortez gave us a good understanding of the time line of events from 100 A.D. to 1300 A.D.
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