Podcasts about ancestral puebloans

Send us a textNote: Audio Only, please see YouTube for Video Version. Step back in time with me as we explore the hidden archaeological wonders of Hovenweep National Monument, straddling the Utah-Colorado border. Few travelers discover this remote treasure, home to remarkable stone towers built by Ancestral Puebloans nearly 1,000 years ago.My two-hour journey around the canyon rim revealed architectural marvels that continue to defy both gravity and time. Hovenweep Castle stands proudly at the canyon edge, its multi-story structure a testament to ancient engineering prowess. The Square Tower rises dramatically from the canyon floor, while the Twin Towers perch precariously on a rock ledge, somehow surviving centuries of harsh desert conditions. Each ruin tells its story: Stronghold House, Rimrock House, Tower Point - all positioned strategically across the landscape for purposes we can only theorize about today.What struck me most was the sophisticated construction techniques employed by people without modern tools. These weren't simple rock piles but carefully designed buildings with specific functions – possibly homes, storage facilities, defensive structures, and ceremonial spaces. Conservation efforts have evolved significantly since the 1930s, when concrete was used for repairs; today's preservationists use acrylic-modified soil that better matches original materials, maintaining both stability and historical integrity.The two-mile loop trail provides constantly changing perspectives of these ancient dwellings, each view more impressive than the last. For anyone fascinated by human ingenuity, archaeological mysteries, or simply beautiful desert landscapes, Hovenweep offers a contemplative journey through a truly deserted valley where the achievements of ancient peoples stand in silent testimony to their remarkable civilization. Have you explored ancient ruins that left you similarly awestruck? I'd love to hear about your experiences with archaeological wonders!Support the show

700 BCE - 1497 CE - Long before European contact, North America was home to vibrant civilisations. From the Ancestral Puebloans, Hohokam, and Mogollon in the Southwest to the Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian cultures of the Eastern Woodlands, these societies thrived. In the Arctic, the Dorset and Thule peoples adapted to the harsh northern climate, leaving behind remarkable legacies.

Send us a textAttn: Audio Only Please see the other post on Youtube for the Video Version, Thanks.Chaco Canyon National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico preserves remarkable structures built by Ancestral Puebloan people over a thousand years ago, showcasing their sophisticated understanding of astronomy, engineering, and community design.• Exploration of Una Vida, an unexcavated "great house" featuring walls and structures in the same state they were discovered almost 200 years ago• Examination of petroglyphs depicting human figures, animals, and abstract designs throughout the park• Visit to Hungo Pavi, a Chacoan great house occupied from 1000-1250 CE with impressive architectural details• Tour of Chitro Kelt, featuring massive walls, small doorways, and a large kiva structure used for ceremonies• Exploration of Pueblo Bonito, "Beautiful House," the heart of Chaco Canyon built between 830-1250 CE• Discussion of the Weatherill cemetery and early archaeological efforts that led to antiquities protection laws• Observation of Fajada Butte's "sun dagger" site that aligns with solstices and equinoxes• Contemplation of why the Ancestral Puebloans abandoned the site after centuries of developmentIf you want to see more videos like this, please like this video and give it a thumbs up. That helps me get my information out to more people on YouTube. I hope to see you on the trail!Support the show

The Anasazi, also called the Ancestral Puebloans, were an ancient Native American culture that flourished in the Four Corners region (present-day Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico) from roughly 100 AD to 1300 AD, known for their advanced agricultural practices, cliff dwellings, and pottery. The name "Anasazi" has come to mean "ancient people," although the word itself is Navajo, meaning "enemy ancestors." The Anasazi were one of four major prehistoric archaeological traditions recognized in the American Southwest along with the Mogollon, Hohokam, and Patayan, but of the four, the Anasazi were known as the deadliest and were known to mix human meat with maize as not only for ritual purposes but dietary as well. Jon from 21CD Podcast is back to join Joel on a fascinating journey of Oasisamerican discovery of the origins of corn and what its original purpose was as a gift from the "gods". They look at apocryphal texts like the Book of Enoch and Jubilees to understand the beginnings of genetically modified food. They then focus on Quetzalcoatl, "The Feathered Serpent", and the god's connection to human sacrifices and the eating of tlacatlaolli. Lastly, Joel and Jon explore the book, "Man Corn" by Christy G. Turner II, and his evidence for cannibalism among the Anasazi, by developing a set of six criteria for determining whether human cannibalism was likely to have occurred, based on analysis of archaeological remains. The 21CD Podcast YouTube | Website | Instagram Buy Me A Coffee: Donate Website: https://linktr.ee/joelthomasmedia Follow: Instagram | X | Facebook Watch: YouTube | Rumble Music: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music Films: merkelfilms.com Email: freetherabbitspodcast@gmail.com Distributed by: merkel.media Produced by: @jack_theproducer INTRO MUSIC Joel Thomas - Free The Rabbits YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify OUTRO MUSIC Joel Thomas - Spinning YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify

Turning Tides: Puebloan Peoples will discuss the original inhabitants of the American Southwest and their contributions to modern-day architecture and art. The first episode, Dagger to the Sun, will cover the period from 20,000 BCE to 1150 AD, in which the Ancestral Puebloans migrated throughout the American southwest and began to build a distinct culture in the deserts of Chaco Canyon.If you'd like to donate or sponsor the podcast, our PayPal is @TurningTidesPodcast1. Thank you for your support!Produced by Melissa Marie Brown and Joseph Pascone in affiliation with AntiKs Entertainment.Researched and written by Joseph PasconeEdited and revised by Melissa Marie BrownIntro and Outro created by Melissa Marie Brown and Joseph Pascone using Motion ArrayWebsite: https://theturningtidespodcast.weebly.com/IG/Threads/YouTube/Facebook: @theturningtidespodcastBluesky/Mastodon:@turningtidespodEmail: theturningtidespodcast@gmail.comBluesky/Mastodon/IG/YouTube/Facebook/Threads/TikTok: @antiksentEmail: antiksent@gmail.comEpisode 1 Sources:Anasazi of Chaco Canyon: Greatest Mystery of the American Southwest, by Kyle WidnerA Study of Southwestern Archaeology, by Stephen H. LeksonAncient Pueblos Sacred Places: A Field Guide to the Important Puebloan Ruins in the Southwest, by Buddy MaysHouse of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest, by Craig ChildsMesa Verde: The History of the Ancient Pueblo Settlement, by Dr. Jesse Harasta and Charles River EditorsIn Search of the Old Ones: Exploring the Anasazi World of the Southwest, by David Roberts A talk on Kivas featuring Steve Lekson and others: https://crowcanyon.org/resources/why-do-we-call-them-kivas/Christy G. Turner III, Man Corn: Cannibalism and Violence in the Prehistoric American Southwest. (University of Utah Press, 2011)The Casas Grandes Flower World and its Antecedents in Northwest Mesoamerica and the U.S. Southwest. Michael Mathiowetz. Presented at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archeology, Albuquerque, NM. 2019 (tDar id: 450449) https://core.tdar.org/document/450449/the-casas-grandes-flower-world-and-its-antecedents-in-northwest-mesoamerica-and-the-us-southwestShannon Burke's Thesis Project: The Commodified Kokopelli, 2025: https://kokopelli.georgetown.domains/a-huge-misunderstanding/,Etc....

Tonight, I tell you three different stories:- Area 51: How did this USAF base gain its reputation for being at the center of numerous conspiracies, including the dissimulation and reverse-engineering of alien technology? We take a look at what is documented, from its creation in 1955 as a test facility for the Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, to the study of foreign technology and the intense secrecy around the base's activities.- Chaco Canyon is a large archaeological site in New Mexico, built more than a thousand years ago and over several generations by the Ancestral Puebloans. But it was obviously not just a residence settlement: What is the meaning, and the function of these alignments based on astronomical observation and cardinal directions, the care given to landscaping, or this enigmatic web of roads that radiate from the canyon?- The Toba Catastrophe Theory hypothesizes that a supervolcano that erupted around 70,000 years ago in Indonesia would have dramatically affected the course of life on Earth, including mankind. What are supervolcanoes? What is it based on? What could have happened? Welcome to Lights Out LibraryJoin me for a sleepy adventure tonight. Sit back, relax, and fall asleep to documentary-style stories read in a calming voice. Learn something new while you enjoy a restful night of sleep.Listen ad free and get access to bonus content on our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/LightsOutLibrary621⁠⁠⁠Listen on Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LightsOutLibraryov⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ¿Quieres escuchar en Español? Echa un vistazo a La Biblioteca de los Sueños!En Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1t522alsv5RxFsAf9AmYfg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠En Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/la-biblioteca-de-los-sue%C3%B1os-documentarios-para-dormir/id1715193755⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠En Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LaBibliotecadelosSuenosov⁠⁠⁠

In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are headed back to one of our favorite National Parks — Mesa Verde! We are diving into the fun facts about this park and focusing on the people who lived here.  The incredible human history in this area is what this park is all about, and we are so excited to share it with you! Join us as we take a deep dive into the Ancestral Puebloans who called Mesa Verde home.  In this episode, we discuss:  The surprising number of cliff dwellings in this national park The number of tribes that have special ties to Mesa Verde  The largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde  The insanely cool things that archeologists have found in this park The magic and the mystery of this park This park protects the heritage of our country in a sacred and beautiful way, and it's up to us to learn about it and how we can preserve it. We hope these fun facts will help you cherish this amazing place as you explore it with your family and friends!  Don't forget to complete your task for this week! Do you think Long House is the *actual* largest cliff dwelling in North America? Or do you stand by the NPS and vote for Cliff Palace? Head over to the Dirt In My Shoes Facebook or Instagram page and cast your vote! Check out the full show notes here.

Uncover the truths of Cahokia, Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon & the Anasazi. Enjoy this Encore presentation! Check out the YouTube version of this episode at https://youtu.be/K9ftUg64Huc which has accompanying visuals including maps, charts, timelines, photos, illustrations, and diagrams. THE MOURNING SUN by Mark Vinet (Denary Novel featured in this episode) is available at https://amzn.to/3EkJ7Kh  Denary Historical Novels by Mark Vinet are available at https://amzn.to/33evMUj  Mesoamerica books available at https://amzn.to/3iZwWeI  Paleoamericans books available at https://amzn.to/3IQWZPv  Thanks for the many wonderful comments, messages, ratings and reviews. All of them are regularly posted for your reading pleasure on https://patreon.com/markvinet where you can also get exclusive access to Bonus episodes, Ad-Free content, Extra materials, and an eBook Welcome Gift when joining our growing community on Patreon or Donate on PayPal at https://bit.ly/3cx9OOL and receive an eBook GIFT. Support this series by enjoying a wide-range of useful & FUN Gadgets at https://twitter.com/GadgetzGuy and/or by purchasing any product on Amazon using this FREE entry LINK https://amzn.to/3k8qrGM (Amazon gives us credit at no extra charge to you). It costs you nothing to shop using this FREE store entry link and by doing so encourages & helps us create more quality content. Thanks! Mark Vinet's HISTORICAL JESUS podcast is available at https://parthenonpodcast.com/historical-jesus                                                            Mark's TIMELINE video channel at https://youtube.com/c/TIMELINE_MarkVinet Website: https://markvinet.com/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denarynovels Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkVinet_HNA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.vinet.9 YouTube Podcast Playlist: https://www.bit.ly/34tBizu Podcast: https://parthenonpodcast.com/history-of-north-america TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@historyofnorthamerica Books: https://amzn.to/3k8qrGM Linktree: https://linktr.ee/WadeOrganization             See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we round out this month's coverage of indigenous Latin America with a look at the Ancestral Puebloans of the American Southwest. We couldn't fit 10,000 years of human experience and complexity into a single episode, so instead we highlight some architectural and engineering achievements, petroglyphs, and some of the mythological beings represented in them. Plus, the origins of the word "adobe" and a lengthy consideration of why the cultural appropriation of Kokopelli looms so large in our memory of the 1990s. To learn more, check out:Aztec Ruins National Monument--New Mexico NPS Historical Handbook No. 36, 1962 (Project Gutenberg)The Chaco Road System - Southwestern America's Ancient Roads (ThoughtCo)Native Languages of the Americas: Pueblo Legends and Stories (Native-Languages.org)Hopi Petroglyph Sites (CyArk)How Kokopelli, the Flute-Playing God, Conquered Pop Culture (Artsy)Books:Pueblo Gods and MythsKokopelli, Casanova of the Cliff DwellersChaco Handbook: An Encyclopedic Guide Chaco Canyon: Archaeologists Explore the Lives of an Ancient Society

Archaeologists have developed new techniques to reconstruct the diet of the Ancestral Pueblo people in the southwestern United States.

News items read by Laura Kennedy include: Taiwan dig finds oldest shell processing site in the Pacific (details) New research shows fish were common food for Ancestral Puebloans (details) Palace in eastern Turkey could have housed Genghis Khan's grandson (details) Horse tooth DNA may link to famed herd on Chincoteague (details) (details)

The Four Corners region of the United States, located where the states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet, is a place of dramatic landscapes and natural beauty. It epitomizes the Wild West but was also once home to one of the most fascinating indigenous cultures in North America. The Ancestral Puebloans left behind some of the most sophisticated and impressive settlements on Earth with whole communities and settlements tucked away in the cliffs of canyon walls. But these feats of engineering didn't happen overnight. Join me as we travel to Mesa Verde in Southwestern Colorado and explore these magnificent communities and the people who built them! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historylovescompany/support

Craig Childs makes a point of going to the very places he’s writing about and immersing himself in them. In The Secret Knowledge of Water, he traces his very being into the rock itself by mapping waterholes in the Cabeza Prieta. In House of Rain, he follows the Ancestral Puebloans across the desert, walking in their footsteps to gain a particular kind of understanding. In Virga and Bone, he immerses himself in aridness and walks through it with curiosity directed at his very affinity for it. In Apocalyptic Planet he backpacks through cornfields in Iowa, among other similarly wild trips, because, as he puts it, “that’s the way I prefer to be in the world.”In this episode, Craig joins us from the front porch of his home in western Colorado, with snowflakes swirling around him and ravens croaking in the junipers. He talks about how stories are not the place but show the shape of a place. He shares several examples of how stories tend to repeat in the same places over and over again simply because of the geology, or other mysterious (but possibly simple) factors science hasn’t yet caught up to. We decided to save ghost stories for another time. We ask Craig to share his thoughts on the many obstacles that can keep us from connecting deeply to place today. He touches on social media, the internet, and other things that can remove us further and further from the land. This removal results in disassociation, Craig says. “We won’t remain disassociated as a species and survive,” he continues, “because then you don’t care about anything.”We discuss the conundrum of being descendants of white colonizers, while at the same time being rooted in the places where fate has deposited us. Craig believes that we have a responsibility to give back to these places and their people who have given so much to us. Much of his work is an effort to do this. “I’ll be dead and gone before I ever really figure out what needs to be fed back to this place and the people of this place,” he says. “But at least I can get close, at least I can do my best.”Finally, Craig reads from his journal, excerpts that may or may not make it into his forthcoming book about rock art, to be published by Torrey House Press. Craig Childs has published more than a dozen books. He has won the Orion Book Award and has twice won the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award, the Galen Rowell Art of Adventure Award, and the Spirit of the West Award for his body of work. He is contributing editor at Adventure Journal Quarterly, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Men's Journal, and Outside. He is a contributor to the blog “The Last Word on Nothing.” He has a B.A. in Journalism from CU Boulder with a minor in Women's Studies, and from Prescott College, an M.A. in Desert Studies. An occasional commentator for NPR's Morning Edition, he teaches writing at the University of Alaska in Anchorage and the Mountainview MFA at Southern New Hampshire University. He lives outside of Norwood, CO.He is interviewed by Zion Canyon Mesa’s Ben Kilbourne.

Author Jen Sincero explains how changing your thoughts, beliefs, and words can help you stick to your goals and successfully form new habits. Plus, learn how ancient Puebloans survived in the desert badlands of New Mexico with help from secret underground ice reserves.  How did ancestral Puebloans survive in the 'Badlands?' They had a secret ice reserve by Grant Currin Geoscientists discover Ancestral Puebloans survived from ice melt in New Mexico lava tubes. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/uosf-gda111720.php  Onac, B. P., Baumann, S. M., Parmenter, D. S., Weaver, E., & Sava, T. B. (2020). Late Holocene droughts and cave ice harvesting by Ancestral Puebloans. Scientific Reports, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-76988-1  Additional resources from author Jen Sincero Pick up "Badass Habits: Cultivate the Awareness, Boundaries, and Daily Upgrades You Need to Make Them Stick" from Amazon: https://amzn.to/37l87kN  Website: https://www.jensincero.com/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/jensincero  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jensincero/  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheJenSincero  Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Laurie and Ben this week as they look at how Ancestral Puebloans survived by melting ice from lava flumes, the first evidence of an association between the use of Psychedelics and ancient cave art and how a 9,000 year old female skeleton is revolutionizing theories on who did the hunting. Enjoy! Links https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/11/woman-hunter-ancient-andean-remains-challenge-old-ideas-who-speared-big-game  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201118080741.htm https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/11/18/2014529117#ref-4 https://www.pnas.org/content/suppl/2020/11/19/2014529117.DCSupplemental

Uncover the truths of Cahokia, Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon & the Anasazi, as we continue exploring prehistoric USA, Canada & Mexico. Check out the YouTube version of this episode at https://youtu.be/shvVUA7sU7s which has accompanying visuals including maps, charts, timelines, photos, illustrations, and diagrams. THE MOURNING SUN by Mark Vinet (Denary Novel featured in this episode) is available at https://amzn.to/3dzAJsM Denary Novels by Mark Vinet are available at https://amzn.to/33evMUj Learn more about History with The Teaching Company's Great Courses Wondrium FREE Trail, which offers streaming access—on your TV, computer or mobile device—to thousands of unlimited ad-free video courses, lessons, documentaries, travelogues and more. Follow our custom link for FREE Trail access to mind-blowing educational experiences: https://thegreatcoursesplus.7eer.net/MarkVinet Surf the web safely and anonymously with ExpressVPN. Protect your online activity and personal info like credit cards, passwords, or other sensitive data. Get 3 extra months free with 12-month plan by using our custom link at http://tryexpressvpn.com/markvinet Want a FREE audiobook of your choice? Get your Free audiobook with a 30 day Free membership by using our customized link http://www.audibletrial.com/MarkVinet Join our growing community on Patreon at https://patreon.com/markvinet or Donate on PayPal at https://bit.ly/3cx9OOL and receive an eBook welcome GIFT of The Maesta Panels by Mark Vinet. Support our series by purchasing any product on Amazon using this FREE entry LINK https://amzn.to/33evMUj (Amazon gives us credit at no extra charge to you). It costs you nothing to shop using this FREE store entry link and by doing so encourages, supports & helps us to create more quality content for this series. Thanks! Website: https://markvinet.com/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denarynovels Twitter: https://twitter.com/TIMELINEchannel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.vinet.9 YouTube Podcast Playlist: https://www.bit.ly/34tBizu Podcast: https://anchor.fm/mark-vinet Linktree: https://linktr.ee/WadeOrganization

In this episode we continue discussing the Ancestral Puebloans, a prehistoric people of the American Southwest. This time, we look at the material culture and crafts that defined their daily lives. 

In this episode we discuss the world of the Ancestral Puebloans, a prehistoric people of the American Southwest. We focus on three foundational aspects of Ancestral Puebloan life, including their agriculture, mythology, and the natural world in which they lived. The episode features a narration of a Zuni emergence myth, told by Leon Joseph Littlebird. 

Perhaps America's most famous landscape, Monument Valley and its fantastically shaped red-streaked buttes have starred in countless films and television shows. But its story truly hearkens to the people who have lived here for centuries: the Navajo, and before them, the Ancestral Puebloans. In this episode, we'll discuss how the Ancestral Puebloans rose and then collapsed, victims of social breakdown in the face of climate change, and how the legacy of colonial oppression lives on in the dish most commonly associated with the Navajo: fry bread and the Navajo taco. But despite those setbacks, the culture of the indigenous southwest lives on strong to this day. Sources: DuVal, Linda. “THE WRITING ON THE WALL; The Southwest: Mysterious and beautiful, the ancient petroglyphs and pictographs etched on canyons throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Nevada speak to the eye and the soul.” in the Baltimore Sun frommers.com (Arizona and New Mexico) Kohler, Timothy A., Mark D. Varien, Aaron M. Wright and Kristin A. Kuckelman. “Mesa Verde Migrations: New archaeological research and computer simulation suggest why Ancestral Puebloans deserted the northern Southwest United States” in American Scientist Newitz, Annalee. “Conservatism took hold here 1,000 years ago. Until the people fled.” in the Washington Post. Schwindt, Dylan M., R. Kyle Bocinsky, Scott G. Ortman, Donna M. Glowacki, Mark D. Varien and Timothy A. Kohler. “The Social Consequences of Climate Change in the Central Mesa Verde Region.” in American Antiquity Woodhouse, Connie A., David M. Meko, Glen M. MacDonald, Dave W. Stahle, and Edward R. Cook. “A 1,200-year perspective of 21st century drought in southwestern North America” in PNAS Photograph by wikipedia user Supercarwaar

Mesa Verede National Park is both a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It preserves and interprets a large collection of ruins left by Ancestral Puebloans. The sites was occupied from 450-1300 A.D. The cliff dwellings that we know it for were only built in the last 100 years of that time period. This video shows a tour of Cliff Palace. For more information read https://amateurtraveler.com/denver-to-mesa-verde-and-durango/

The Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs Colorado sits on a an active geothermal area with the deepest host springs in the world. This video shows the hot springs at the resort and then also shows nearby Chimney Rock National Monument which are ruins left by the Ancestral Puebloans on top of a mountain. Fr more information read: https://amateurtraveler.com/denver-to-mesa-verde-and-durango/

When five cowboy brothers stumbled on staggering cliff dwellings of the ancient Ancestral Puebloans in a remote corner of Colorado, their curiosity turned into a passion. That passion ignited a chain reaction that led to the creation of a controversial power entrusted to the President of the United States through the Antiquities Act.

In 2005, David Roberts and two of his mountaineering friends caught sight of what appeared to be a granary beneath an overhanging cliff a thousand feet above a Utah ranch. After rappelling down the cliff, Roberts and his companions discovered a settlement--and a mystery. This enormous granary was large enough to hold fifty-seven bushels of corn, weighing a ton and a half. Yet Roberts and his friends--some of the most experienced climbers in the world--had enormous difficulty reaching the site. In fact, they were the first people to reach the remote site in more than seven hundred years. How could the ancient natives have managed to lug so much grain up this sheer cliff, especially considering there is no conclusive evidence that they possessed rope technology? For more than 5,000 years the Ancestral Puebloans occupied the Four Corners region. Just before 1300 AD, they abandoned their homeland in a migration that remains one of prehistory's greatest puzzles. Northern and southern neighbors of the Ancestral Puebloans, the Fremont and Mogollon likewise flourished for millennia before migrating or disappearing. Fortunately, the Old Ones, as some of their present-day descendants call them, left behind awe-inspiring ruins, dazzling rock art, and sophisticated artifacts ranging from painted pots to woven baskets.

The ancestral Puebloans were some of the first farmers in the American Southwest. Join ranger Karen Henker for a brief look at their lifestyle, as well as the art and architecture they left behind.

The ancestral Puebloans were some of the first farmers in the American Southwest. Join ranger Karen Henker for a brief look at their lifestyle, as well as the art and architecture they left behind.