Ancient Anasazi Cultures

Ancient Anasazi Cultures - Restored to Pristine

Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde National Park, a unique icon to the Anasazi capacity for building architecture seeming both permanent and providing such a magnificent heritage, contains ruins known through North America and the world. The effort for restoration and protection presently channels a normal visitor on select paths, accompanied by a Ranger.

Cliff Palace, Balcony House, Square Tower House ~ such familiar terms to Anasazi buffs around the planet. A museum houses cultural artifacts, shows creative interpretations through dioramas, and provides movies.

After sampling the museum to get the aura of Anasazi culture, the interested photographer follows a mesa-top or canyon trail to the Anasazi ruins and final capture a digital image or two.

Canyons of Ancients

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, west of Mesa Verde, documents more than 6,000 archaeological and historical sites. There may be 20,000 to 30,000 sites in total. Most are rubble mounds - once homes of Anasazi ancestors. Most visitors wouldn’t recognize these mounds as cultural sites, especially when compared with dramatic sites at Mesa Verde and Hovenweep. However, rubble mounds have significant research value for archaeologists as well as religious and cultural value for Native Americans.

Canyons of the Ancients was proclaimed a National Monument in 2000. What can this rugged mesa-canyon country have to offer the curious, seeking American public?

Its unique worth is as an Outdoor Museum. Many artifacts are housed at the Anasazi Heritage Center. Visitors can discover cultural artifacts in a natural setting. Essential outdoor components are artifacts, archaeological and/or historical sites, and responsible visitors who can explore and learn on their own.

Cedar Mesa

At Cedar Mesa, the Outdoor Museum Concept puts its best foot forward. Here, the responsible visitor, with eager digital camera, can trek deep into terrain which made the Anasazi world-class climbers. Cedar Mesa is Utah’s western extension of Colorado’s Canyons of the Ancients beyond Hovenweep. Deep canyons host pristine examples of lonely Anasazi outposts.

Standing in the silence of a canyon with only a crow's caw above, perhaps a coyote’s lonely wail, you get the distinct feeling the footprint before you might have been made a thousand years ago by fleeing Anasazi. You can go where ever you wish to digitally capture ruins which still need little restoration. You can see pictographs which speak of ancient holy places.

Anasazi Adventures

Anasazi Adventures is a digital tour designed to show you the breadth of Anasazi culture and civilization.

We begin with Anasazi history at Mesa Verde, then move to the pristine reality of Moon House. We help you learn through the Museum at Mesa Verde. The Anasazi Heritage Center and Crow Canyon Archeology Center set the keynote for more learning. Then we trek into spaces where it seems they left only yesterday...

By sampling Mesa Verde, Canyons of the Ancients, and Cedar Mesa, not only do you capture amazing photography; you come away with a better feeling about how Anasazi culture really lived.

Through out, we discuss Anasazi history, walk among Anasazi heritage, capture digital photography, discuss Photoshop workflow, and simply have a good time!

Come, expand your heritage boundaries! Take away award-winning images...

BistiArt@geocompa.com ~ www.BistiArt.Smugmug.com