Mesa Verde National Park, CO
As we've traveled across the country, I've become more and more interested in native American history. Montana & Wyoming--the Cheyenne and Shoshone . . . South Dakota & Minnesota--the Dakota and Lakota . . . Tennessee & North Carolina--the Cherokee . . . Oklahoma and the Trail of Tears . . . Northwestern New Mexico & Northeastern Arizona--the Navajo (Dine) and the Hopi . . . and all the tribes in between. 
Thirteen thousand years of archaeological history and all I've ever learned about is the last 350 years. Enough history of the European invaders! I want to learn about the history of America! Enough about the bravery of the European pioneer women--as real as it was. I want to learn about the bravery of the Indian women whose husbands never returned from battles with the U.S. Army over broken treaties.
It was with that excitement and anticipation that we arrived at Mesa Verde National Park in the Southwest corner of Colorado. 
Mesa Verde or "Green Table" is an archaeological treasure that surely can't remain open to the public forever. It is one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in the world and the fact that we were able to walk through them was absolutely astonishing to me. We went on two guided tours, the best being the last where we climbed 30 foot ladders and crawled through a narrow passageway.
The area was occupied by Puebloans as early as 750 A.D. and the cliff dwellings were built around 1200 A.D. Formerly called Anasazi ("enemy peoples"), they are now called Puebloans.What a treat to be able to walk through their homes and imagine their lives. What skill to be able to build homes in the cliffs as they did!
Mesa Verde just whetted my appetite for more!
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