Transition from the 80-degree sun of Moab, UT to the 60-degree overcast of Cortez, CO, the home of Mesa Verde.  We settled into our crawlspace at the Far View Lodge and dined over-looking the same horizon of snow-capped Rockies we observed on our trip south.  Below, Victoria enjoys the view in anticipation of a superb trout dinner. The braised beef was recommended by our waiter, and it proved up to the hype. The view, the food and the company made it a special evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tour of the Cliff Palace on Saturday morning was an imaginative leap into a First Millenium society called the Ancestral Pueblo People. They transformed from a hunter-gatherer culture into an agrarian society around 750 CE.  How they came from the plains to the cliffs of Mesa Verde in 1200 has been a mystery, as was their slow departure around 1300. The largest motivator for migration was availability of water, and a few drought seasons could account for their migration, both arriving and departing.

The lower stories of the pueblo were housing for clans that expanded with every generation. They revolved around a circular room, the kiva, a room for public events, whether community councils or celebrations of life.

 

The upper stories were for storage, including grain, tools and weapons. It is believed this cliff dwelling housed at least one hundred people of all ages, divided into eight clans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We visited the Spruce Tree House, the best-preserved of the cliff dwellings, but the access to the building was under construction, so we had to be content with distant shots of the wall.

 

 

 

We ended the day back at the Far View Lounge, sampling raspberry pistachio salad (Victoria) and a Cider Margherita (me), while exploiting the better Wi-Fi in the lounge and finishing this update of our Southwest Journey.