From 600 to 1300 AD, the ancient pueblo people (sometimes called the Anasazi) lived in Mesa Verde, Colorado. Sometime around 1190, they moved their homes from the plateau to the natural alcoves in the steep cliff faces of Mesa Verde Canyon. Only 100 years later, they left Mesa Verde altogether. Why did they move into the cliffs, and why did they leave after just a few generations?
The ancient pueblo people attained a cultural Golden Age between 900 and 1150, a span that encompassed innovations such as pottery, food storage, and agriculture and enabled rapid growth in population. They probably retreated to the alcoves for protection from the elements because they had become able to transport water and food in pottery and because the cliff dwellings were defensible positions.
Around 1150, the climate in the region began to shift and entered a dry period that lasted 300 years. The pueblo people probably left Mesa Verde because it became too dry to sustain them. The Tiwanaku civilization around Lake Titicaca in present-day Bolivia collapsed during that time, too.
Yet 700 years later, the dwellings still stand due to the durability of the sandstone and protection from natural elements provided by the alcove ceiling. The story of the ancient pueblo people highlights that water is so critical that it can drive the migration of peoples. It is a particularly good story to reflect on after the western United States recovers from grappling with a prolonged drought. El Niño rainfall in late 2015 into 2016, helped, but another drought in the future is almost inevitable. We need to think long-term.
This post was written by Livia Hyams, a Mobile Ranger intern at the time of writing, and Julia Gaudinski.
Sources
- Mesa Verde National Park. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Accessed April 2016.
- Mesa Verde National Park, History & Culture. National Park Service website.
