PhD Science Texas - Level K Module 1 - KD Poster

Mesa Verde Long Ago

Tucked into the side of a soaring cliff, an ancient village quietly sits. Sandstone blocks form walls, towers, and rooms, with openings for windows and doorways. This is a Mesa Verde cliff dwelling. Families lived here hundreds of years ago. They were the Ancestral Pueblo people.

Everyone was busy! At home, people made pottery with black patterns on white clay. They ground corn into flour. They wove cotton cloth to make shirts and dresses. Some people ventured away from home to hunt rabbits and deer. In cold weather, the Ancestral Pueblo people wore turkey feather robes and put soft grass in their shoes to keep warm. In warm weather, people grew food on top of the mesa. Nearby, other cliffs had dwellings too.

Farming at Mesa Verde

The Ancestral Pueblo people farmed the land on the mesa tops in warm weather. They planted seeds in the rich soil to grow squash, beans, and their most important crop: corn. Sunlight and rain helped the seeds grow into plants. The farmers climbed steep cliffs to tend their fields. Clinging to notches carved in the stone, the farmers made the dangerous journey. Up and down they went, day after day, until their crops were ready to harvest. Back in the cliff dwellings, fires crackled as the farmers returned with baskets of food. Smoke curled through the holes in the flat roofs. As each day became night, pots simmered, ladles scooped, bowls filled, and everyone ate.

Level K Module 1: Weather

Ancient Clues

Why did the Ancestral Pueblo people leave the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings? No one knows for sure. But the things they left behind can help us understand how they lived and why they left. A broken cup here, a woven sandal there— these are clues! Pictures carved into rock walls and tools made of stone and bone are clues too. Clues tell stories. Even the roofs made of logs hold clues. Scientists study tree rings inside the logs to find out what the weather was like at Mesa Verde long ago. Thick rings formed in rainy years; thin rings formed in dry years. Today, the ancient cliff dwellings seem silent and still. But clues await those who look closely.