MESA VERDE PART 5 - LIFE IN THE LARGE CAVE SETTLEMENTS (circa 1250 AD)

By 1250 AD the Anasazi had built two large cave settlements. They still farmed on the summits and hunted, gathered and traded food resources. Progress had been made in building styles and construction. Farming was ore secure with the development of irrigation. This was the civilisation that Richard Wetherill encountered when he entered "The Spruce Tree House" in 1888. It was a major archaeological find that. Its significance was recognised but proclaiming it as a National Park and eventually as a World Heritage site. This unit places the Anasazi back in the caves by using dioramas developed by researchers. The Anasazi still had to cope with the harsh climate and the variability of rainfall but they had managed to reduce these impacts. Life now seemed secure and sustainable. However the final part will indicate that this wasn't so. The summary unit (Part 6) provides room for discussion and debate.