The peoples of the Mesa Verde region and their descendants have found meaning and guidance in the stars for thousands of years. Storytelling is a big part of the descendants’ lives still today. The stars, moon, and sun are key elements of those stories, and their movement through the sky determine when certain stories are told throughout the year.S…

There are as many names for the stars, planets, and constellations as there are languages and cultures on Earth. In this episode we hear some of the Navajo/Diné and Zuni names for some of the most prominent stars and constellations, and we hear about the 1054 Supernova that resulted in the Crab Nebula which can still be seen via telescope today.Sub…

Our moon has a consistent and predictable cycle that repeats every month in the same way that it has for billions of years! But this cycle is more than the 29.5-day pattern of lunar phases. In this episode, we’ll hear about the ways humans have tracked the monthly lunar cycle, as well as the lunar standstill, and the significance that eclipses have…

Some of the most well-known celestial alignments within ancestral sites correspond with the annual movement of the sun along the horizon throughout the year - especially on the Solstices and Equinoxes. And one of the most famous is the Sun Dagger at Chaco Canyon.In this season of Mesa Verde Voices, we'll hear about the ways that ancient people obse…

In 2021, Mesa Verde National Park became the 100th International Dark Sky Park. This designation does more than just preserve the natural beauty of the night sky above the park, it also preserves the cultural bond that ancestral people had with the skyscape. In season 5, we'll hear about the ways that ancient people observed and tracked the movemen…

In this final episode of season four, we look into the myth that first drew explorers, archaeologists, and tourists to these desert canyons just a few centuries ago. Where did the Mesa Verde people go? Why did they move on? And why is this myth that they vanished from their ancestral homelands damaging to descendant communities today?Subscribe, rat…

The rock art in the Southwest is as iconic to the region as the cliff dwellings themselves. From animal shapes to handprints to intricate spirals, these petroglyphs and pictographs adorn the landscape leaving messages from hundreds and thousands of years in the past. What do these symbols mean? And what might they still communicate today?New episod…

Why did the Ancestral Pueblo people build these world-renowned alcove villages? It’s nearly impossible to go a day at Mesa Verde National Park without hearing someone ask some version of this question. And at the same time, it’s nearly impossible to answer it. In this episode, we explore some of the many theories surrounding this frequently asked q…

The stunning alcove villages - such as Cliff Palace - are what originally captured the attention of the first European descendant folks to move through the canyons of Mesa Verde. However, these were not the largest communities in the Mesa Verde region… not by a long shot.New episodes will release every Friday. Subscribe, rate, and review Mesa Verde…

In season 4, we’re digging into some of the most commonly asked questions at Mesa Verde National Park.In this episode, we're talking about how the Ancestral Pueblo people came to be in the Southwest, and how Indigenous and European ways of learning and knowing about the past can complement each other.New episodes will be released every Friday. Subs…

The fourth season of Mesa Verde Voices begins on April 30th. Learn the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions by park visitors from archeologists and the descendants of the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived in and around what we now called Mesa Verde National Park hundreds of years ago.…

Hundreds of years ago, the Ancestral Pueblo people were pouring immense time and energy into weaving intricate items such as clothing and sandals. And while people all across the region seem to have utilized these items, recent studies suggest that a particular group may have been responsible for most of the manufacturing. This specialization has b…

All across the region in the mid-1100s people began to move closer to water. These movements are reflected in the need to travel great distances, to make strong bonds with different cultures, and to bring home special items – feathers, shells, turquoise, with their bright, vibrant colors, their origins near oceans and rainforests, and their tinklin…

For thousands of years, an extensive trade network has bonded the people of Mesoamerica and what is currently the Southwestern United States. Pochtecas - Mesoamerican traders - were responsible for transporting goods and technologies across the landscape, including live birds and their colorful feathers.New episodes will release every Friday. Subsc…

Water has always been precious to the Ancestral Pueblo people, and it is still precious to their descendants today. As dry farmers in an arid region, prayers for moisture and rains have been passed down for thousands of years and often incorporate items that were acquired from faraway places associated with water.New episodes will release every Fri…

Pottery is a particularly iconic item in the Southwest, and evidence of its trade across the Four Corners region can be a little surprising… considering moving something fragile and heavy like ceramics would be difficult without carts, wagons, or draft animals.New episodes will release every Friday. Subscribe, rate, and review Mesa Verde Voices whe…

What do three pieces of 1000-year-old pottery from the desert of Chaco Canyon have in common with the rainforests of Mexico?New episodes will release every Friday. Subscribe, rate, and review Mesa Verde Voices wherever you listen to podcasts, and learn more at mesaverdevoices.org.Mesa Verde Voices is produced by KSJD Community Radio in Cortez, Colo…

In season 3, we’re talking all about trade relationships as distant as Mesoamerica and the California coast, and as close-knit as neighboring communities across Montezuma Valley.New episodes will release every Friday. Subscribe, rate, and review Mesa Verde Voices wherever you listen to podcasts, and learn more at mesaverdevoices.org.…

The new season of Mesa Verde Voices launches Friday, May 22.Mesa Verde Voices

How have social media platforms like instagram and YouTube changed the way visitors interact with public lands?Show Noteshttps://native-land.ca/Interviews with:Bridget Ireland, Dispatch at Mesa Verde National ParkMarquel Musgrave, Emergence Project Coordinator at Santa Fe Mountain CenterMesa Verde Voices

New technology is providing a way to re-interpret historic interpretation and artworks, providing more accurate information about the Ancestral Pueblo people, while also allowing new virtual access for those who can’t physically experience the cliff dwellings in the park.Show NotesInterviews with: Venancio Aragon, Mesa Verde Park RangerKristy Sholl…

What is the role of National Parks in telling diverse stories and encouraging dialog relating to the cultural sites they manage?Show NotesInterviews with:Kristy Sholly, Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Services at Mesa Verde National ParkBrenda M. Atencio, Ohkay OwingehBrian Forist, Lecturer in Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Human Ecology at Ind…

How do contemporary artists interact with Mesa Verde National Park?Mesa Verde Voices

Being buried in a rock shelter 2000 years ago was just the beginning of a long journey for a young woman from the Basketmaker II period. Her journey exemplifies the cultural and legal changes in southwest archaeology over the last 100 years.Mesa Verde Voices

How ancient corn cobs in Southwestern alcoves are helping to answer pressing modern questions about the future of agriculture. And why continuing to grow unique varieties here in the Southwest is so important.Mesa Verde Voices

A national monument designation can bring protections to archaeological sites, but can also bring traffic. Learn about the impacts of more visitors and what you can do you protect the places you visit.Mesa Verde Voices

It's a word with a mysterious past... because there isn't a tribe called the Anasazi, and there never was. So where did it come from? Why was it ever used? And why do a lot of people in the Southwest not want to use it anymore?Mesa Verde Voices

The ethics of preservation, from the "discovery" of Cliff Palace to how Mesa Verde National Park maintains archaeological sites and how Pueblo people preserve sites outside of Mesa Verde National Park today.Mesa Verde Voices

Archaeologist Donna Glowacki on the social, religious, and political factors that influenced the decision to leave the Mesa Verde region.Mesa Verde Voices

Large wildfires in recent decades threatened to destroy important archaeological sites in Mesa Verde National Park, but they also revealed previously undiscovered treasures.Mesa Verde Voices

Using experimental gardens and historic climate data, archaeologists are able to reconstruct ancient corn harvests, predict the size of harvests, providing new insights into how big droughts affected ancient people's food security.Mesa Verde Voices

Introduction to Mesa Verde Voices Pilot Season.Mesa Verde Voices