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Visit our Tour Destination: C
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| McElmo black-on-white bowl from Shields Pueblo. Photo courtesy of Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. |
23390 Road K
Website: Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
The Treasure: Artifacts
from excavations led by Crow Canyon Archaeological
Center at the Yellow Jacket and
Shields pueblo sites shed light on the cultures of the ancestral Pueblo people who lived in this region of southwestern Colorado nearly a
thousand years ago.
Accessibility: The
collections themselves are stored at the Anasazi Heritage Center, a curation
center and museum operated by the Bureau of Land Management, and they are generally
not accessible to the public unless on display in an exhibition. The actual
Yellow Jacket and Shields archaeological sites are on private property and therefore
inaccessible to the public. HOWEVER, the real treat here is the opportunity to
participate in archaeological opportunities at Crow Canyon Archaeological
Center that allow you to explore the current work of archaeologists in the Mesa
Verde region, one of the densest concentrations of well-preserved
archaeological sites in the world. Check their website for up-to-date information
on their archaeology programs.
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| Three masonry structures at Shields Pueblo. Photo courtesy of Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. |
Background: Both
the Yellow Jacket and the Shields pueblo sites were home to large communities
from approximately 1050 to 1300 A.D. The Shields site shows some evidence of settlement from as
early as 775, and older artifacts have been uncovered at Yellow Jacket as well.
The oldest indications of human habitation in the Mesa Verde
region are projectile points that date back to the Paleoindian period (circa
10,000 to 5,500 B.C.). There have been people—although often just small
isolated communities—in this region ever since. Archaeologists classify the periods of
settlement into a number of time periods:
Paleoindian, Archaic (5500-500 B.C.), Basketmaker (500B.C. – 750 A.D.), Pueblo (750-1300 A.D.),
Post-Pueblo (extending to the time of European encounters), and Historic.
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| Mesa Verde black-on-white mug from Yellow Jacket Pueblo. Photo courtesy of Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. |
The Yellow Jacket and Shields sites were homes to
settlements of the Pueblo
(sometimes called Anasazi) people, who lived in these parts during a time of
significant movement and community building throughout the area. In some communities, massive multi-room, multi-story structures called great houses were built. Other buildings called great kivas were roofed structures, usually round and sometimes built into the earth so they were partially underground. Buildings such as these could serve as community centers for large villages and their surrounding farmsteads. Today, the ruins of the villages, sometimes located in
picturesque canyons, have come to define the popular image of ancestral Pueblo life.
Sometime near the end of the 1200s, the Pueblo
people left these grand sites and migrated to new settlements in Arizona and New
Mexico . Other Native American people had always lived
in close proximity to the Pueblo Indians. The Utes, the Hopi, and the Navajo
continued to live in the Mesa Verde region in Post-Pueblo and Historic times but not usually in the great Pueblo structures that
remained largely abandoned.
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| Partial Mancos black-on-white olla from Shields Pueblo. Photo courtesy of Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. |
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| Mesa Verde black-on-white kiva jar lid from Yellow Jacket Pueblo. Photo courtesy of Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. |
Notes from the
Editor: I want to go on the “Archaeology Day Tour” offered by Crow Canyon
Archaeological Center Four
Corners area. The Day Tour offers a hands-on introduction to Pueblo history, including
visits to a current excavation site and the Center’s lab. There are other
tempting programs offered, too, including multi-day opportunities for
assisting with field work and artifact analysis. Summer camps are available for introducing
teens to the joys of archaeology.
As befits an institution focused on the study of ancestral
Native American cultures, the Crow
Canyon Archaeological
Center
“Our ancestors built these
dwellings here, and their spirits still live in these places. That's what makes
them so significant. We want to encourage others to preserve these dwellings.
We want future generations to come and observe, because our cultural and
traditional ways bring the soul nourishment.”
Ernest M. Vallo, Sr.
Eagle Clan, Pueblo of Acoma
Other Recommended
Sites: The Mesa Verde region is a very popular tourist destination. You can explore the architectural ruins of the
ancestral Pueblo people at Mesa Verde National Park, Hovenweep National Monument , and
Lowry Pueblo. The Anasazi Heritage Center
in nearby Dolores , Colorado
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| Above-ground kiva at Yellow Jacket Pueblo showing hearth and floor features. Photo courtesy of Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. |
Tour America's History Itinerary
Monday’s destination: Clyfford Still Museum
© 2012 Lee Price
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