Mesa Verde: it’s not you know. A Mesa. It’s a cuesta. Has to do with the fac that MV has a 7% slope which allows water to run off the south portion which therefore allowed the erosion of the rock below the top and formed alcoves. Also, this 7% grade allowed the ancestral Pueblo peoples to create mini dams to trap water run off and have enough water to farm. It’s a tad jarring to consider as we drove along, all the terrain was filled with Piñon and juniper trees and such, but the soil is rich due to the winds coming from the west which carry dust which drops down (called loess) and so you have a way to trap water, and good soil and a south facing cuesta which adds 30 more days of growing season. The ancestral Pueblo peoples lived on the top of the hill for centuries, until about 1100, when they evidently, en masse, moved to the alcoves.
Another fun fact: this national park was the first park created to preserve the works of mankind in the US.
Cliff Palace is the largest structure built by Ancestral Pueblo peoples, which we had the privilege to visit. Or in Karen’s case, to wind up her courage to visit.
I keep looking at these cliff dwellings and wonder: how on earth did they 1. Get up and down with any finesse to the top? 2. They quarried rocks to build their homes. So now, they are hauling rock and water to make mortar up and down the sheer rock faces. Oh my stars.
More pics in another post coming shortly
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