Mesa Verde

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.

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

Mesa Verde migrations were an integral part of a transformative period that forever changed the course of Pueblo history. Bringing together multiple lines of evidence, including settlement patterns, pottery exchange networks, and changes in ceremonial and civic architecture, Donna M. Glowacki takes a historical perspective that forefronts the social factors underlying the depopulation of Mesa Verde, showing how “living and leaving” were experienced across the region.

"Indians of the Mesa Verde" by Don Watson. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

"The Water Mysteries of Mesa Verde" Learn about the science of paleohydrology--the study of water use by ancient peoples, by Kenneth R. Wright.

Climb the arid slopes of Colorado to discover the cave dwellings of the ancestral Pueblo Indians. Why were the homes built in the cliffs? How were they used and why did the Pueblo move? Travel along with scientists to find out how their discoveries shed light on the mysteries surrounding this important historical site. Unlocking the secrets of the past is just an artifact away!