(19) Mesa Verde NP, Colorado

Situated in the southern part of Colorado, Mesa Verde NP allowed us to take a look at life in pre-Columbian America. Visible below is a huge mesa, that is a mountain with a flat top like a table.

The mountains offered shelter to an ancient people whom archeologists call Anasazi, which in Navajo means "the ancient foreigners". The Anasazi were originally located in the Four Corners region (next on the blog) and chose Mesa Verde for their home about 1,400 years ago, that is approximately in the year 600. Below is the picture of the largest village in Mesa Verde called Spruce Tree House:

The Anasazi lived in the area for about 700 years before they moved away in late 12 century. During the seven centuries of their Mesa Verde settlement they built communities sheltered in the stone caves of the mountains. As visible above, the Anasazi used nature to their advantage, building their dwellings under the overhanging cliffs that protected them from snow and rain and, most probably, from unexpected visitors, either human or predatory;)
Judging by the intricate alleys built for contemporary visitors, prospective ancient attackers must have found it difficult to get to the Anasazi dwelling place:

Well, if those aggressors managed to get down the cliff, they most probably died of poisoning, killed by local plants which may have served as natural "barbed wire";)

The Anasazi, ancient as they were, certainly mastered the art of architecture, which is evidenced by the remnants of their dwelling places made of sandstone. I couldn't help wondering how the hell they built such multilevel houses when they were literally hanging from the cliff...

I also had a chance to get down into a room which looked like a private family bedroom:

When I looked at the sunlit ancient blocks of flats, I concluded that the Anasazi must have spent a lot of time outside their dark alcoves in the warm sun in the open yard.

This well-shaped chamber cut in the rock may have served as a local center for religious rites and social gatherings. The hole in the middle may have been a fireplace...

Mesa Verde NP, which was created in 1906, is a surprisingly big plateau: over 30 km long and about 25 km wide. The impressive mesas are separated by deep canyons (click on the picture, it grows):

Another Anasazi dwelling - there are 600 cliff dwellings in the park, which means that quite a few Ancestral Puebloans, as they are now called, must have lived in the area. (Click on the picture to see more details)

The Anasazi were agricultural people: they hunted game on the mesa tops and grew crops there. Well, in order to function in this culture you had to be very fit: imagine a husband climbing to work in the field in the morning;)

Another Anasazi cliff dwelling:

Driving across a mesa: the trees destroyed by a fire add to the gloomy atmosphere of this long-dead settlement.

The legend below introduces tourists to the arcana of Anasazi sacral architecture (clicking on the picture might help):

A glimpse into the Sun Temple's interior:

One final shot of an amazing Anasazi village before we leave this peaceful area which was once home to a flourishing native American people (click on the picture if you want):