Day 19(4/19)
Mesa Verde . . .
It doesn’t take long to get from downtown Cortez to the turnoff for and entrance to Mesa Verde National Park. The mesa is probably about 14 long north to south and maybe 10 miles wide and contains more than a dozen canyons, mostly running north to south. It is not actually a mesa, though. It’s a cuesta. Connie and I once lived on Cuesta Dr. in Los Altos, but it wasn’t until we went to Mesa Verde that we learned the meaning of the word. Because of its 7º tilt toward the south, it does not qualify as a mesa. Mesas are closer to level. But because it tilts to the south, it favored agriculture with more sun exposure.
Most of the ruins are on the south end of the mesa so we had to drive some time (and distance as the roads are full of curves) before getting to them. While doing so we were treated to great vistas of the fertile valleys below and I figured that between just 3 vantage points I was able to video record a 360º panorama. As nice as that was, driving through the damage of three wild fires was disturbing. As we gained altitude the chaparral gave way to low forests of Juniper and Pinion Pine. And then, suddenly, a whole swath or even a hilltop became the devastation of conflagration. Connie and I are used to seeing this in the Sierras, but there we are also used to seeing undergrowth come back in pretty short order. Here, though the three fires noted by road signs were in the late 90s and early 2000s, there was no green among the ghost trees. Except for the seemingly indestructible Yucca dotting the landscape these areas were forest graveyards.
It’s not well understood why some of the people from the agriculturally productive valleys below the mesa decided to move to the top. This began around 550 CE. As most Ancestral Puebloans did, they lived in pit houses. True to their name, pit houses were partially dug into the ground with short, above ground walls and roofs of wood and mud. Entrance was through a hole in the top as is the case with modern day kivas. This may have something to do with the Puebloan creation myth wherein the people entered this world from the world below through a hole in the earth called a sipapu. Being the oldest of the ruins, these excavated sites are protected by buildings from the ravages of the weather.
The top of the mesa we visited is covered with that low forest of conifers. It’s speculated though that in the in those days the forest was cleared trees for wood to be used for building and firewood and to clear space for farming. That agricultural life of the valleys below was transferred to the top of the mesa. For most of the next 800 years, life there thrived. Around 1200, they began to build villages under the overhangs that are so prevalent in decomposing sandstone cliffs. These are the main attraction to Mesa Verde.
Our first stop was at the Far View sites. From around 900 CE, this was one of the most populous areas of the mesa. At the modern site we walked through excavated ruins of 5 villages dating from around 800 to 1300. But the most amazing thing we saw was what is now called the Mummy Lake. Built in two phases between 900 and 1300, it is a 27.5 m diameter by 4 m deep depression encircled by stone walls. There is evidence of trenches to share the collected snowmelt and rainwater captured with other pueblos as well as to guide waters to the reservoir.
We moved on to Spruce Tree House (1200 -1280), which is described as the third largest and best preserved of the cliff dwellings. It is also one of the most accessible. Usually. Since rocks have been falling from the arch above, which itself has been showing signs of structural questionability, the easy hike to and self-guided tours have been suspended. What a disappointment. So close, and yet, just across a narrow canyon.
We stopped at other sites, but the pièce de résistance is Cliff Palace. This is the picture you see on any brochure for Mesa Verde. The largest pueblo, it is still subject to archeological survey. It is also available for a ranger guide tour with advanced reservation. In season. Like with Spruce House, the feeling of being able to look at but not touch was overwhelmingly frustrating.
In the middle of all of this touring, we stopped to have lunch in our van in a visitor center’s parking lot. We went into the café for coffee and perused the gift shop and bookstore. I bought a Swiss Army like knife with wood sides, one engraved with a Mesa Verde profile and the other with “Rob”. Connie added to her points of interest patch collection. We also looked at what appeared to be machine made pottery. I asked about it and was told that it was hand made (like the label claimed) and reflected the pottery that was made in the area in ancient times. After we had completed our touring and were heading out of the park, we stopped again at the bookstore and bought a small bowl.
What a great day it had been. We were really tired – not just from a long enjoyable day, but from a lot miles on the road. Tomorrow we would drive to Reen and Brian's house for some family time.