Day 25 Saturday 10-3-15 Mesa Verde

Terry has agreed to let Linda do this day’s blog to save his back.  There will be much editing done before it goes to press.  But here goes.

Mesa Verde as seen from Cortez, AZ

The north face of  Mesa Verde

In the 15 minutes we were in the
Visitor Center this fire went from
a wisp of smoke on the horizon to this.

There are shear drops of  hundreds of
feet while climbing to the top of the mesa

This vague image is Shiprock NM over
40 miles away.  Smoke and haze dampened
the normally clear views.

One of the many vistas on the way up.

Today we visited Mesa Verde to see the ruins of the Cliff Dwellers.   They were Pueblo people who settled there about AD 550.  They lived there less than 1,000 years.  By about 1300AD Mesa Verde was deserted.     There are several theories of what caused their disappearance.   Perhaps they migrated, or maybe there were social and political problems.  Or maybe they just wanted to find other opportunities somewhere else.  No one really knows.

Mesa Verde Visitor Center

Linda new Anasazi friend.

Sculpture of an Indian climbing
the cliff wall with a basket of corn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Local ranchers reported the cliff dwellings in the 1880’s.  Can you imagine out riding your horse and discovering something so unique?  I bet that made them sit up in the saddle! 

The earliest type of houses were pit houses constructed on the flat top of the mesa.  The floors were dug down into the ground and a pole structure was built overtop.  By the burnt artifacts found in this location they were apparently fire traps.

 

 

 

 

 

Later they started building houses made of stone and mortar.  They became master stone masons.

 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

At some point they took to making stone houses in the caves on the side of the cliffs.  There are at least a dozen visible dwellings if you are lucky enough to find them all.  Some were not visible to us.

 

Cliff Palace.  The largest and
most photographed dwelling

House of many windows.  The house continues
to the right although the face wall is missing.

 

 

It is thought that this was a place of
refuge from warring tribes.  To secure
the structure the ladders were raised.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tower House

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we studied their homes in the cliffs, we wondered aloud to each other how they were able to scale the walls of the cliffs!  Even more mysterious, how did they find them?  They are located on the walls of a canyon.  How did they discover something that appears to be so well hidden?

 

The Sun Temple built on the top of the mesa.

The top four courses of stone are restoration.
But notice the lower stone work which is original.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day was fascinating.  But we realized the Visitors Guide was correct.  To see and do everything in Mesa Verde, plan on three days.

Some of the vistas on the way back down:

Now the fire is again a wisp of smoke.

We spent the night back in Cortez.