October 11, 2010

Monday 11~~~~Another busy day going to National Parks and seeing the beauty of Colorado. Today we went to "Hovenweep," which is the Ute/Paiute name for "deserted valley." The canyon and mesa county north of the San Juan river holds many archeological sites where ancestors of today's Pueblo Indian Tribes lived. Round, square,and D-shaped towers grouped at canyon heads mark once thriving communities. No one has lived in them for over 7oo years, but they are still inspiring to the many visitors who come to Hovenweep. These stone structures were built atop isolated boulders, not practical sites for safety and access. Most are associated with springs and seeps near canyon heads. The water was extremely valuable to the desert-dwelling agriculturalists. By 1200 the population had grown dramatically and much of the tree cover had been removed, perhaps this and the drought is the reason for the sudden departure of the Pueblo people in the 1200's . Despite seven centuries of weathering, many large structures and tall towers still stand as tributes to their builders. These structures were found by W.D. Huntington as he led an 1854 Mormon Expedition into Southeastern Utah. In 1923 President WG Harding proclaimed Hovenweep a national monument. It is hard to believe the age of these beautiful ruins that are still standing so majestic against the sage and blue skies.