Mesas Cliffs And Canyons

Discusses the Native Americans known as the Anasazi, who migrated to southwestern Colorado in the first century A.D.

Surveys the land, geology, wildlife and vegetation of the wilderness area of the Colorado plateau in Colorado, Arizona and Utah.

Don Watson's 'Cliff Dwellings of the Mesa Verde: A Study in Pictures' is a visually captivating exploration of the ancient cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park. Through a collection of stunning photographs and detailed descriptions, Watson examines the architectural marvels of the Ancestral Puebloans with a keen eye for detail and historical context. The book not only serves as a guide to the cliff dwellings but also delves into the cultural significance and lifestyle of the ancient inhabitants. Don Watson, an archaeologist with over 20 years of experience in studying the Native American cultures of the Southwest, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his work. His passion for preserving and interpreting archaeological sites shines through in this comprehensive study of the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings. I highly recommend 'Cliff Dwellings of the Mesa Verde' to anyone interested in archaeology, Native American history, or photography. Watson's meticulous research and stunning visuals make this book an indispensable resource for scholars and enthusiasts alike.

It is one of the great mysteries in the archaeology of the Americas: the depopulation of the northern Southwest in the late thirteenth-century AD. Considering the numbers of people affected, the distances moved, the permanence of the departures, the severity of the surrounding conditions, and the human suffering and culture change that accompanied them, the abrupt conclusion to the farming way of life in this region is one of the greatest disruptions in recorded history. Much new paleoenvironmental data, and a great deal of archaeological survey and excavation, permit the fifteen scientists represented here much greater precision in determining the timing of the depopulation, the number of people affected, and the ways in which northern Pueblo peoples coped—and failed to cope—with the rapidly changing environmental and demographic conditions they encountered throughout the 1200s. In addition, some of the scientists in this volume use models to provide insights into the processes behind the patterns they find, helping to narrow the range of plausible explanations. What emerges from these investigations is a highly pertinent story of conflict and disruption as a result of climate change, environmental degradation, social rigidity, and conflict. Taken as a whole, these contributions recognize this era as having witnessed a competition between differing social and economic organizations, in which selective migration was considerably hastened by severe climatic, environmental, and social upheaval. Moreover, the chapters show that it is at least as true that emigration led to the collapse of the northern Southwest as it is that collapse led to emigration.

Cedar Mesa, Utah, offers adventurous visitors magnificent examples of all the geologic wonders that define "canyon country" throughout the Southwest: stone arches, natural bridges, and breath-sucking precipices, plus hidden springs, hanging gardens, and a treasure of pre-Columbian Indian ruins.

Reproduction of the original: Antiquities of the Mesa Verde National Park, Cliff Palace by J. Walter Fewkes