Sunday Jun 9 2013
Mesa verde continues.
Amazing how many cliffs dwelling you can visit
here. Some close by, some are more than an hour
drive. And you still have to climb down to
get there.
The long house:

The ladders to move around

Around 1200 they started building there
houses around a KIVA. Amazing how common
this was in all settling's I have seen.
This is a deep in the ground circular room.
With a central fire pit. An air inlet on the
side, with air deflector. And the entrance
is in the center of the roof. So, when the
fire is on, you come down in the smoke.
Some rangers describe this is ceremonial
cleaning.
Mostly there are 6 pilasters which support
a kind of woven beam roof, from juniper pine
mud and stones.
There is the also the "sipapo", a small hole
in floor. Symbolic entrance to the underworld.
Or the symbolic hole where the 4th and last
life starts...
In current (yes) Hopi world, Kiva's are very
ceremonial and religious or superstitious
oriented.

Also on the hike. Who says that dinosaurs
are extinct ? A horny Toad ?