Mesa Verde region

[1] The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center near Cortez, Colorado, in the heart of the Mesa Verde, has been conducting research in the region since 1982.

Around this time, the Mesa Verde Region experienced rapid population growth, bringing in technological change and progress in terms of weaponry, crop harvesting, and artifacts.

During this period, the pueblo people began constructing larger public buildings, leading archaeologists to believe that the inception of religious, economic and political institutions in this society came around this time.

The "Chaco World", as referred to by archaeologists, is noted for its distinctive architecture, with one notable unique feature a type of building called a 'great house'.

[8] Subsequently, by AD 1250 a significant population of the pueblo people of the Mesa Verde region transitioned from their farmsteads to new homes in current day Arizona and New Mexico.

Mesa Verde National Park , Colorado. Cliff Canyon, as seen from the Cliff Palace.
Mesa Verde mug, made in 13th century, MVNP museum collections
Sketch of Pueblo I crescent-shaped village (Mesa Verde site 2022) Source: National Park Service
Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park