Well in my first post I pretty much just gave you a summary of the vacation in general. I thought that I would go into more detail of the Mesa Verde visit as I find that area to be very interesting.
Although there is evidence of inhabitants that dates back 1,000s of years I am going to focus this post on the early Puebloan people. About 400AD or so is one of the earliest pithouses that I had the privilege to look at. Those homes were 2 room dwellings that were dug into the ground. Timbers were lined up around the edges with a square roof. Fires for cooking and warmth were burnt in the hole dug in the center of the room with a hole in the roof right above. Most of these dwellings showed evidence of burning to the ground where it is believed that they would just rebuild.
Ancient Puebloan peoples' diet was mainly based on corn which they grew along with beans and squash. Mesa Verde has about a 150 day growing season. They also hunted and gathered seeds, berries, and nuts. The average life span was about 32-34 years although some of them lived to be in their 40s or 50s. Their life style was very rough. Combined with a diet short of some major nutrients, this made life hard. Bone deficiencies and tooth decay where very prominent leading to most of the causes of death. Teeth have been found ground down, caused by eating ground corn meal, or have been removed completely probably to relieve pain.
The next example of dwellings where people lived were pithouses with more than 2 rooms that sometimes incorporated a kiva. Kivas are round structures that are believed to be the place where religious ceremonies were held. Personally I believe that they also served as a place where they gathered for entertainment along with the religious purposes. As you can see in the photograph about half way down is a step level where people sat with the ceremony going on in the middle. Kivas are very prominent throughout the Mesa Verde region.
About 750AD the people of the Mesa began to build surface dwellings. These were rather large structures. They were also occupied until the Mesa's abandonment around 1300AD. I found it rather interesting exploring these structures like the Far View Sights where we were able to go inside and look around at the rooms. This structure was unique to me because there was a Kiva on the top of the ground as well as one dug into the ground.
The actual cliff dwellings were built about 50 years before the abandonment of Mesa Verde occurred. They still don't understand why these magnificent structures were built and then abandoned so quickly. It is one of the great life mysteries. But there are so many of these examples of great architecture in the park. Like the Cliff Palace (left) which is the largest cliff dwelling ever found with 200 rooms and 20 Kivas. The circular structure in the extreme right of the picture is a grain silo.
I was so lucky to be able to witness these wonders. I look forward to going back there and exploring them further.
Although there is evidence of inhabitants that dates back 1,000s of years I am going to focus this post on the early Puebloan people. About 400AD or so is one of the earliest pithouses that I had the privilege to look at. Those homes were 2 room dwellings that were dug into the ground. Timbers were lined up around the edges with a square roof. Fires for cooking and warmth were burnt in the hole dug in the center of the room with a hole in the roof right above. Most of these dwellings showed evidence of burning to the ground where it is believed that they would just rebuild.Ancient Puebloan peoples' diet was mainly based on corn which they grew along with beans and squash. Mesa Verde has about a 150 day growing season. They also hunted and gathered seeds, berries, and nuts. The average life span was about 32-34 years although some of them lived to be in their 40s or 50s. Their life style was very rough. Combined with a diet short of some major nutrients, this made life hard. Bone deficiencies and tooth decay where very prominent leading to most of the causes of death. Teeth have been found ground down, caused by eating ground corn meal, or have been removed completely probably to relieve pain.
The next example of dwellings where people lived were pithouses with more than 2 rooms that sometimes incorporated a kiva. Kivas are round structures that are believed to be the place where religious ceremonies were held. Personally I believe that they also served as a place where they gathered for entertainment along with the religious purposes. As you can see in the photograph about half way down is a step level where people sat with the ceremony going on in the middle. Kivas are very prominent throughout the Mesa Verde region.
About 750AD the people of the Mesa began to build surface dwellings. These were rather large structures. They were also occupied until the Mesa's abandonment around 1300AD. I found it rather interesting exploring these structures like the Far View Sights where we were able to go inside and look around at the rooms. This structure was unique to me because there was a Kiva on the top of the ground as well as one dug into the ground.
The actual cliff dwellings were built about 50 years before the abandonment of Mesa Verde occurred. They still don't understand why these magnificent structures were built and then abandoned so quickly. It is one of the great life mysteries. But there are so many of these examples of great architecture in the park. Like the Cliff Palace (left) which is the largest cliff dwelling ever found with 200 rooms and 20 Kivas. The circular structure in the extreme right of the picture is a grain silo.I was so lucky to be able to witness these wonders. I look forward to going back there and exploring them further.
Comments