During the summer of 2009, I passed through Mesa Verde National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage in southwest Colorado. It is most famous for its well-preserved, 800 year old Anasazi cliff dwellings. In the first video, a Mesa Verde National Park Ranger explains various aspects of the park, the dwellings and the history of the people. In the second, he talks about the homes in which people lived, the culture they adopted and the reason they left Mesa Verde. Signposts are provided if you’d like to skip ahead.
0:00 — The people who lived here
and how we know
1:20 — The Anasazi creation story
2:00 — Learning to live in the region
4:30 — Why the Anasazi chose the cliffs and how they obtained water from the sandstone
6:45 — An introduction to the work area and storage rooms
7:30 — Constructing the cliff dwellings and division of labor
9:10 — On whether the Anasazi were involved in warfare
0:00 — Kivas, the homes of the Anasazi, cradles in Mother Earth which are today used for religious ceremonies
1:10 — Households and who occupied them
2:25 — Leaving Mesa Verde
3:10 — How the Anasazi lived, ate, married, ground corn and died
6:25 — Why did they leave?
These videos are part of a larger American Southwest gallery. Click the link to see more great videos, photographs and interactive panoramas.
