Mesa Verde National Park - southwestern Colorado

We are getting ready to hike to the cave site, Spruce Tree House,  where Ancient Puebloans lived until the 1200's.  Spruce Tree House had 130 rooms and 8 kivas.  It probably housed almost 90 occupants, all who had to scale the walls of the cliff to enter.  They would grow food on the mesa above.  

a kiva - a large circular underground room used for religious and other important events in the pueblo

Will and Claire are using the mano and metate to grind down corn.  This was the reason the Puebloans had bad teeth.  As they ground the corn, sandstone was mixing in with their food.  

Our ranger was very entertaining and full of information.  

Will continues to work on earning his Junior Ranger badge.  

http://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm