STOP #8
After about 900, Mesa Verde communities were dotted with kivas like this one. Small kivas probably were used by several related families or by secret religious societies whose members specialized in performing certain types of ceremonies. The roof was at ground surface. Kiva roofs were supported by an ingenious cribbed framework of logs. The ends of the logs rested on the pilasters or columns along the kiva wall. Note the large rectangular pit or vault in the floor. The ends of this vault were stepped and supported a plank hewn from ponderosa pine. Archeologists believe that this was used as a drum.
WETHERILL MESA ARCHEOLOGICAL PROJECT
Between 1958 and 1964, archeological crews excavated in several sites on Wetherill Mesa. This work was funded by the National Geographic Society and the National Park Service. At the time, the Wetherill Mesa Project was among the largest “digs” ever undertaken in the United States. A number of different fields participated, including botanists, zoologists, and geologists. All applied their special skills in this effort to better understand the world of the prehistoric peoples of the Mesa Verde.
Around 1200, most of the Mesa Verde Anasazi abandoned their homes on the mesa tops and settled in the alcoves or overhangs along the canyon walls. Some people continued to live—or at least to use ceremonial sites—on the mesa tops, however. Archeologists are virtually certain that the tower, kiva, and last block of rooms at Badger House were built in 1258.