Mesa Verde National Park, home to the spectacular Anasazi Ruins, was created in 1906.

Mesa Verde National Park is home to the famous cliff-dwellings of the ancestral Pueblo people known as the Anasazi. The Park is made up of 52,073 acres and contains over four thousand known archaeological sites. The sites range from early pit dwellings of the Anasazi to the spectacular cliff dwellings that they built during the height of their civilization. The range of well-preserved sites at Mesa Verde makes it possible to follow the development of the Anasazi civilization for over 1,300 years. The ruins, among the best preserved and most important in the United States, have captivated the public since photographer William Jackson first documented them in 1874. The mystery of what happened to the Anasazi civilization as well as the uniqueness of their cliffside homes make Mesa Verde a special place. In recognition of this, Mesa Verde was named a World Heritage Site in 1978.

Xpeditions
In Interpreting Rock Art of the Anasazi (K–2), students are introduced to the ancient Anasazi people through samples of rock art preserved in the public lands of the Four Corners region.

Science NetLinks
The Science Update Pueblo Migrations (6–12) discusses a 20-year effort to learn what happened to the ancient residents of the Mesa Verde archaeological region.

In Collapse 1: Why Civilizations Fall (6–8), students find out about the social changes that caused the collapse of important ancient civilizations in Central America, Mesopotamia, the southwestern United States and western Africa, including that of the Anasazi.

In Collapse 2: Interpreting the Evidence (6–8), students explore the ways in which scientists learn about civilizations that have disappeared, archaeological issues, methods, evidence and types of measurement.

ARTSEDGE
In A Listening Doll (K-4), students discuss the process of storytelling and listening to stories. They then create a listening doll in the tradition of the Pueblo storyteller dolls.