How to Discover the Ancient Anasazi of the American Southwest
Now known as the Anasazi, early Native Americans who inhabited the American southwest for several centuries did so before dispersing into separate tribes or disappearing altogether. The name means "the ancient ones." Archeologists have determined that Mesa Verde, a national park in Colorado, served as the center of their society, which included several other pueblos within the region. The people cultivated the land on the mesa and lived below in cliff dwellings. When the land stopped providing, the people expanded and settled further south and west. Their descendents became the Havasupai and Navajo, among others.
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Things You'll Need
- Map of the western United States
- Four-wheel drive
- Sunscreen
- Water
- Camera
Instructions
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Fly into Denver International Airport, the closest, yet still almost 400 miles away. Rent a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
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Locate Cortez, Colorado, and Mesa Verde National Park on the map. Choose the quickest route to take. Continue toward Cortez and, if not camping, reserve a hotel room for three nights, using Cortez as a starting point. Save money and time by camping and set up at Mesa Verde or Canyon de Chelly.
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Check the Colorado map again and identify Mesa Verde, east of Cortez. The park's entrance will provide a map of the mesa. Use the map to explore the park. The Cliff Palace requires a very inexpensive ticket and is a must see. A tour guide will take visitors below the cliff and show an elaborate pueblo that surely would be considered the New York City of the Anasazi culture. Other areas of interest include the Balcony House and the Spruce Tree House.
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Visit the Anasazi Heritage Center on Highway 145 near Delores, Colorado. Delores is north of Cortez. Stop and visit to get informed about the amazing history of this ancient people. Also, check road conditions at Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. Many of these roads require high clearance. The Center will provide a map of this monument. There are several ruins to explore.
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Opt to visit the Sand Canyon area first. This is quite a large settlement with over 140 rooms and is second only to Mesa Verde's Cliff Palace in size.
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Access the northern section of the monument by locating Pleasant View, Colorado on the map and traveling west to the Lowry Pueblo. Lowry offers a great opportunity to explore the rooms and kivas at the site.
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Locate the Painted Hand Pueblo on the map. Take road 10 and stop here to visit the remnants of a cylandrical tower. After the Painted Hand, continue for a few miles and cross into Utah and stop at Hovenweep National Monument.
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Visit several pueblo ruins at Hovenweep. Many involve the remnants of towered buildings similar to the one just seen at Painted Hand. The evolution of Anasazi architecture is evident when compared to the mesa and even more so as the migratory people settled centuries later at the Wupatki Pueblos near Flagstaff.
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Backtrack on Road 10 to Pleasant View and then south to Cortez. Locate Canyon de Chelly National Monument on the Arizona map and follow directions south.
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Stop and visit Canyon de Chelly; an expansive pueblo site encompassing many acres. Receive a park map and stop at the Visitor Center. Welcome any information from the park rangers and inquire about the relationship between Chelly, Mesa Verde and Canyon of the Ancients.
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Travel both the north and south Rim Road and discover the towering cliffs within the canyon below. These beautifully preserved pueblos stand on land still inhabited by the Navajo. There are 11 visible pueblos within the canyon.
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Opt to expand the tour for a few more days to include the Aztec Ruins and Chaco Culture in New Mexico or the Tuzigoot and Wupatki ruins in Arizona.
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Tips & Warnings
Because of the distance between these major sites, this itinarary requires at least three days: one for Mesa Verde, one for Canyon of the Ancients and one for Canyon de Chelly
Avoid Canyon of the Ancients without a four-wheel drive. The other parks are accessible.
Extra water is mandatory.
Resources
- Photo Credit James Barnett
