The Anasazi occupied this site at various times from the 900’s into the 1100’s. They left behind some unusual and puzzling architectural features....

• STOP #10

The sides and floor of this pit were fire-reddened, and archeologists believe it was used as an oven. Food probably was placed on a bed of hot stones, covered with earth, and allowed to bake for several hours.

• STOP #11

This small underground room was among the last structures built on this site. Archeologists do not know its purpose, but it resembles a miniature kiva.

The last building on this site was a small pueblo. From the time the Anasazi began to live in above-ground dwellings, their villages usually included open courtyards or plazas. The kivas were located in this area. Modern Pueblo Indians use the plaza as a work area, a place to socialize, and a stage for the dances that are often a part of religious ceremonies.

• STOP #12

A palisade, or fence of posts and brush, partially enclosed the plaza of Two Raven House. Archeologists speculate that such structures may have been windbreaks to shelter the plaza or even barriers to keep Anasazi turkeys in (or out) of the village. Although palisades have been discovered at only a few other sites in the Southwest, they may have been common features of Anasazi villages. Archeologists seldom have the time (or money) to spend stripping away the topsoil in search of the telltale rows of postholes.

• STOP #13

Between 1280 and 1300, the Anasazi left Mesa Verde and moved south. Some of the people may have joined the Hopi in northern Arizona, but most probably settled among the Pueblos in the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico. Archeologists are still not certain why the Anasazi abandoned much of their homeland at this time.

Drought conditions, which began around 1276 and persisted for nearly a generation, may have been partly to blame. Yet, the Anasazi had survived several previous droughts. By 1280, however, the people may have been facing other serious problems in their environment, including exhausted soil and erosion.

Even after a century of research, mysteries remain....

• STOP #14

These stones are the remains of toppled walls. They were removed from in and around the rooms during excavation.

A key ingredient in making a house into a ruin is neglect. Nature does the rest. Walls and roofs of abandoned houses sag and fall. Soil, moved by water and wind, builds up against the foundations. Plants with shallow roots sprout, anchoring the soil, which eventually becomes deep enough to support brush cover. Given time, the result is a mound—one littered with lichen-covered stones, pot sherds, flakes of stone and mortar, but otherwise nearly blending into the landscape. You may have wondered how archeologists estimate the height of walls when so few are left standing. The answer lies here. They collect the debris and measure the pile.