No region of this continent and few areas in the world can boast a collection of archaeological ruins equal to that of the American Southwest. An indispensable guide to over 50 sites throughout the region, this title includes 90 photos and 18 maps and diagrams.

At the height of their power in the late eleventh century, the Chaco Anasazi dominated a territory in the American Southwest larger than any European principality of the time. A vast and powerful alliance of thousands of farming hamlets and nearly 100 spectacular towns integrated the region through economic and religious ties, and the whole system was interconnected with hundreds of miles of roads. It took these Anasazi farmers more than seven centuries to lay the agricultural, organizational, and technological groundwork for the creation of classic Chacoan civilization, which lasted about 200 years--only to collapse spectacularly in a mere 40. Why did such a great society collapse? Who survived? Why? In this lively book anthropologist/archaeologist David Stuart presents answers to these questions that offer useful lessons to modern societies. His account of the rise and fall of the Chaco Anasazi brings to life the people known to us today as the architects of Chaco Canyon, the spectacular national park in New Mexico that thousands of tourists visit every year.

A family visiting New Mexico's Bandelier National Monument is introduced to the life of the Anasazi and the mystery of their disappearance from this area. Includes puzzles and activities.

When Richard Wetherill and his brother-in-law Charlie Mason were following cow tracks up Chapin Mesa they never expected to see what lay ahead of them through the snow flurries, a cave totally filled with houses which they later named Cliff Palace The next day they discovered Spruce Tree House and Square Tower House. This area which is now part of Mesa Verde National Park is well known for the sheer beauty of its archaeological ruins. For hundreds of years the geography of Mesa Verde has acted as a canopy protecting the remains of its ancient sites.What happened to the Anasazi is still speculation but some new views of the disappearance of the Anasazi are discussed here. Now available to the general public, this guide is comprehensive enough for the serious beginner or the seasoned expert.... the volume edited by David Noble offers a series of detailed essays on the people who built the pueblos of the Mesa Verde region .... -- Los Angles Times

Following in the wake of what one noted scientist called 'transients who neither revered nor cared for the ruins as symbols of the past, ' the Wetherill family became the earliest students of Mesa Verde. Their careful excavations and record-keeping helped preserve key information, leading to a deeper understanding of the people who built and occupied the cliff dwellings. As devout Quakers, they felt they were predestined to protect the historic sites from wanton destruction - a role that would not be assumed by the government or other institutions until years later. Based on decades of meticulous research, author Fred Blackburn sets the record straight on these early protectors of Mesa Verde.