Mesa Verde - Native American architecture
The Anasazi Native American tribe lived in what is now called Mesa Verde, Colorado. It is located near the Four Corners area. The plateau that they built on rises above the Montezuma and Mancos valleys. In the area that they lived there were more than twenty canyons and all of the little streams drained into the Mancos River. Their buildings were built against the escarpment that rose from the valley 2,000 feet high.
Mesa Verde is like a little town or community that all of the Anasazi people lived in. Each family would have their own little area. Around 750 was when different dwellings were starting to be built. The walls were made of poles and mud. In 1000 was when masonry came about. They made rectangular blocks the size of a loaf of bread out of sandstone for bricks. The mortar was made out of mud and water. The rooms were about six by eight foot, and that would be enough space for two to three people. Anasazi people lived in small villages of dwellings. The village would have around 200 rooms.
Within the villages there were many different buildings and each of them were made for different purposes. On the high ledge that was facing east there was a building called the balcony house. Within that there are 45 rooms and two kivas. Kivas are large chambers that are partly underground for religious ceremonies. The cliff palaces, or cliff dwellings, were many different stories. There are 200 rooms and 23 kivas. These were made of sandstone, wooden beams, and mortar. Log house is what the second to the largest village is called. It could house 150 people in its 150 rooms. Stones were used to build it, and it was designed to add on or make bigger for the families that grew. The mug house had 94 rooms and a large kiva. A reservoir was also nearby. The third largest village was called spruce tree house. It had 130 rooms and 8 kivas. There were 60 to 80 people living there. The tallest structure in Mesa Verde was the square tower house.
Men and women had different responsibilities in their communities. During the day the women would sit in the courtyards and make pottery. The common things made in pottery were pots, bowls, canteens, ladles, jars, and mugs. Also, they were in charge of making clothes for the people. In the summer they would wear loincloths and sandals, and in the winter hides and skins were worn. The men would make tools from stones and bones that they would use to grind, cut, pound, chop, perforate, scrape, and polish. A few things made were knives, axes, and scrapers.
The Anasazi people were also known as the basket makers. They would make baskets and use them to carry various different things like carrying water, storing grain, and cooking over a fire. Trading things like the baskets, pottery, weavings, and leather work was good for them. It helped them get to know the surrounding areas and people in the areas.
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