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Scientific Monograph

A Century of Archeological Research at Mesa Verde National Park

Price: $19.99
Publisher: MVMA (2009)

Format: PDF on CD ROM
In 2006, Mesa Verde National Park celebrated 100 years of existence as the first national park set aside expressly to protect cultural resources. As part of that celebration, in May 2006, the park and Mesa Verde Museum Association hosted a four-day symposium featuring many of the most prominent figures in southwestern archeology and related fields. Speakers looked back at the first century of archeological study throughout the Southwest. They looked in more detail at the previous decade, the influences of new technology, new theories, and new techniques for stabilizing sites and structures. And they looked forward, considering the benefits and applications of continuously changing technology as well as cultural and political influences.

Balcony House: A History of a Cliff Dwelling (Kathleen Fiero)

Price: $24.99
Publisher: MVMA ()
ISBN: 0-000000-00-0

So why write a book about a small, inaccessible cliff dwelling located in a cold, damp alcove? There is no evidence of specialization; there are no exotic trade objects. The craftsmanship in this site fits into the thirteenth century - no unique skills were needed to build the rooms, kivas and retaining walls. What is unique about this site is its preservation and social context. The outstanding preservation of the site is due both to the alcove in which it was built and to the people who had the site excavated and stabilized in 1910, and maintained for the last 90 years. This has resulted in a site with a high level of structural integrity with such details as balconies, room “racks,” decorated plaster, and hatchways in perfect condition. The second interesting attribute is that it is a site built, stabilized, maintained, and interpreted within the context of two very different sociocultural systems—Pueblo and Euro-American. For anthropologists it is this interaction of cultures and the interplay of the typical and the unique that is so intriguing.

Prelude to Tapestries in Stone: Understanding Cliff Palace Architectrue (Larry V. Nordby)

Price: $39.99
Publisher: MVMA ()

This book is the most up-to-date interpretation of one of the largest cliff dwellings in North America, Cliff Palace. Water seeping into Cliff Palace in late November 1995 threatened the integrity of the site. Part of the mitigation plan included architectural documentation of the most threatened areas in Courtyard Complexes M and J during the winter of 1995-96. This architectural documentation study revealed that there were 151 rooms, 75 other architectural spaces, and 21 kivas in Cliff Palace from AD 1278-1280. Only 25 of the rooms had hearths, implying that they were the only ones used as living rooms. The author thinks these were the residential quarters of a small caretaker population of 25-30 households. Other rooms and open areas may have been used by people who came from other areas and used Cliff Palace for only a short period each year. Included with this report is a full color poster map of Cliff Palace.This book is not eligible for member discounts.

 

Two Raven House: Wetherill Mesa Excavations (Alden C. Hayes)

Price: $19.95
Publisher: MVMA ()
ISBN: 0-937062-24-3

A monograph in the Wetherill Mesa Project in the Archeological Research Series.On a sunny day in May of 1960, Jerry Melbye found the rubbled ruins of a small pueblo in an open glade of sagebrush. A steel stake bearing a site number was driven into the mound and it was recorded that here was a single story house of from 9 to 12 rooms fronted by a kiva and an extensive trash mound. The report is largely descriptive with a minimum of interpretation and no attempt to define archeology or spell out cultural history.