Travel Guide Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde is located on the boundary of Colorado. Yet the traveler to Monument Valley in Arizona can easily reach the Four Corners, the only place in the United States where four states (Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah) have a common border, and from there join the Mesa Verde National Park, which is emotionally exciting. Like the Chelly canyon, you will see in Mesa Verde the traces of the famous and mysterious Anasazis Indians and the ruins of their villages nestled in the cliffs. It's a picturesque site, interesting both archeological and nature.HistoryMesa Verde National Park was created in 1906, in order to preserve the remains (rare examples to date) of the Anasazis Indian civilization, which lived in this region until the xivth century. The Amerindians found refuge in the natural shelters of the cliffs. The first houses date from 550 of our era. They consist of a pit house in the ground, covered with a brush roof. Some of these semi-underground and grouped halls are still visible at the summit of the Mesa. Over time, agriculture is becoming increasingly important and the population is increasing. In the middle of the fields are the first family houses. Towards the viiie century, houses gather in villages. Pueblos plant corn, beans (imported from the south), squash, cotton seeds (from Mexico) and domesticate turkey. The acquisition of the arc makes hunting more productive. The inhabitants are also starting to manufacture pottery, drawing on the white background these drawings to mineral black paint that later became their distinct brands.Around a thousand, the Pueblos are exceptional builders capable of building solid stone walls. The architectural techniques used are perfected to deploy, later, their masters in the construction of the houses of the cliffs. Buildings of more than two floors and fifty pieces and more are erected and the Pueblos masked stone blocks with ease. More than 20 thousand people live there, showing also special, spiritual interests, as evidenced by the giant Kivas serving at ceremonies, but also economic, as demonstrated by the channeling of waters using a highly sophisticated system.In the twelfth century, Indian civilization is at its peak. Hundreds of scattered troglodytic villages gather together in communities to protect themselves from intruders. The evolution of their culture is also characterized by the aesthetic and artistic research of everyday objects.Then suddenly, at the beginning of the thirteenth century, without knowing the reason, after having spent 600 years designing the plateau, Indians leave the heights of Mesas to shelter all in caves from various places in the region, where they hastily build the houses of the cliffs. Rehousing 20 ¾ 000 to 30 ¾ 000 people in difficult places of access, without any mechanical help, is a feat. This new facility will only be ephemeral because, at the dawn of the xivth century, the Indians will abandon the cliffs, without anyone knowing, again, the reason… The Anasazis will not have time to finish the temple of the Sun. According to the Hopis, it was intended to host ceremonies. According to most archeologists, migration was organized to Arizona and western New Mexico, where the native Mesa Verde natives were absorbed by other tribes.