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. Subscribe, rate, and review Mesa Verde Voices wherever you listen to podcasts, and learn more at mesaverdevoices.org.

Season 4 Episode 1: The First Migrations

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 Voices wherever you listen to podcasts, and learn more at mesaverdevoices.org.

Mesa Verde Voices is produced by KSJD Community Radio in Cortez, Colorado with support from the Mesa Verde Museum Association and the National Park Service.

Season 4 Episode 2: The Largest Villages

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 question.

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, Colorado with support from the Mesa Verde Museum Association and the National Park Service.

Season 4 Episode 3: Why Move Into The Cliffs

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, 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, Colorado with support from the Mesa Verde Museum Association and the National Park Service.

Season 4 Episode 5: Where Did They Go?

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 observed and tracked the movement of the sun, the moon, and the stars, as well as how these traditions live on in their descendants still today.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information on all the topics discussed in this episode, visit www.mesaverdevoices.org.

For more information about International Dark Sky Parks, visit www.darksky.org.

Mesa Verde Voices is produced by KSJD Community Radio Project in Cortez, Colorado, in collaboration with Mesa Verde National Park and the Mesa Verde Association

This season is made possible through a grant from Colorado Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the American Rescue Plan of 2021

Season 5 Episode 2: Sun Watching

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 for descendants of the Mesa Verde region today.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information on all the topics discussed in this episode, visit www.mesa-verde-voices.org. For more information about International Dark Sky Parks, visit www.darksky.org.

Mesa Verde Voices is produced by KSJD Community Radio Project in Cortez, Colorado, in collaboration with Mesa Verde National Park and the Mesa Verde Association.

This season is made possible through a grant from Colorado Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the American Rescue Plan of 2021.

Season 5 Episode 3: Moon Watching

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.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information on all the topics discussed in this episode, visit www.mesaverdevoices.org. For more information about International Dark Sky Parks, visit www.darksky.org.

Mesa Verde Voices is produced by KSJD Community Radio Project in Cortez, Colorado, in collaboration with Mesa Verde National Park and the Mesa Verde Association.

This season is made possible through a grant from Colorado Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the American Rescue Plan of 2021.

Season 5 Episode 4: Star Watching

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.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information on all the topics discussed in this episode, visit www.mesaverdevoices.org. 
For more information about International Dark Sky Parks, visit www.darksky.org.

Mesa Verde Voices is produced by KSJD Community Radio Project in Cortez, Colorado, in collaboration with Mesa Verde National Park and the Mesa Verde Association. This season is made possible through a grant from Colorado Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the American Rescue Plan of 2021.

Season 5 Episode 5: Storytelling

In season 6, we're going to be talking about... the seasons. We'll be exploring the landscape of this special place as it transforms throughout the year. From how the plants, animals, and weather change, to how the lives of ancestral people would have shifted alongside these changes in the natural world, starting with Spring.
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Ute Mountain Ute Tribe: www.utemountainutetribe.com
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Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park: www.utemountaintribalpark.info
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Episode sources: www.mesa-verde-voices.org/s6e1-summer

Season 6 Episode 1: Spring

The summer time on the mesa would’ve been a busy time. The Ancestral Pueblo people were skilled farmers, growing staple crops of corn, beans, and squash through the practice of dryland farming - a tradition that has been passed down to their descendants still today.

Hopi: https://hopi.org/hopi-sites/
Episode sources: www.mesa-verde-voices.org/episodes/s6e2-summer

Season 6 Episode 2: Summer

As the autumn winds bring cooler weather and vibrant colors to the Mesa Verde landscape, this seasonal transition also brings a time of harvest, celebration of the growing season, and preparation for the long winter months ahead.

Picuris Pueblo: www.visitpicuris.com
Zuni Pueblo: www.ashiwi-museum.org
Acoma Pueblo: www.acomaskycity.org
Episode sources: www.mesa-verde-voices.org/episodes/s6e3-fall

Season 6 Episode 3: Fall

Winter is a crucial time of year for both the landscape and humans of Mesa Verde. While this is generally a time for rest, reflection, and community, the people living at Mesa Verde would not have been sitting idly by waiting for spring.

Picuris Pueblo: www.visitpicuris.com
Zuni Pueblo: www.ashiwi-museum.org
Acoma Pueblo: www.acomaskycity.org
Episode sources: www.mesa-verde-voices.org/episodes/s6e4-winter

Season 6 Episode 4: Winter

While the mission of the National Park Service is to preserve and protect our nation’s natural and cultural resources for future generations, this doesn’t mean that the methods of preservation are stagnant. Over the past decade, park staff at Mesa Verde National Park have taken steps to tell a more accurate, truthful, and equitable story of the people who once lived on this landscape.

Picuris Pueblo: www.visitpicuris.com
Zuni Pueblo: www.ashiwi-museum.org
Acoma Pueblo: www.acomaskycity.org
Hopi: hopi.org/hopi-sites/
Episode sources: www.mesa-verde-voices.org/episodes/s6e5-a-season-of-change

Season 6 Episode 5: A Season of Change

In season 6 we'll be talking about... the seasons.  We'll be exploring the Mesa Verde landscape as it transforms throughout the year - from how the plants, animals, and weather change, to how the lives of ancestral people would have shifted alongside these changes in the natural world.  And finally we'll hear about some big changes coming to the museum at Mesa Verde National Park. 

Episodes will be released weekly starting on the Spring Equinox - March 20th.

Season 6 Trailer

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

Pilot Episode 1: Revealed by Fire

Introduction to Mesa Verde Voices Pilot Season.

Pilot Season: Intro

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

Pilot Episode 3: Moving on

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.

Pilot Episode 2: Corn is Life

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.

Season 1 Episode 1: The Preservation Paradox

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?

Season 1 Episode 2: What's an Anasazi?

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.

Season 1 Episode 3: Loving the Past to Death

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.

Season 1 Episode 4: Ancient Corn, Modern Questions

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.

Season 1 Episode 5: Esther

How do contemporary artists interact with Mesa Verde National Park?

Season 2 Episode 1: Art in the Park

What is the role of National Parks in telling diverse stories and encouraging dialog relating to the cultural sites they manage?

Show Notes

Interviews with:

Kristy Sholly, Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Services at Mesa Verde National Park
Brenda M. Atencio, Ohkay Owingeh
Brian Forist, Lecturer in Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Human Ecology at Indiana University Bloomington

Season 2 Episode 2: Two Spirits

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 Notes

Interviews with: 
Venancio Aragon, Mesa Verde Park Ranger
Kristy Sholly, Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Services, Mesa Verde National Park
John Filwalk, Director of the IDIA Lab at Ball State University

Season 2 Episode 3: Augmented Reality

How have social media platforms like instagram and YouTube changed the way visitors interact with public lands?

Show Notes
https://native-land.ca/

Interviews with:
Bridget Ireland, Dispatch at Mesa Verde National Park
Marquel Musgrave, Emergence Project Coordinator at Santa Fe Mountain Center

Season 2 Episode 4: Visit with Respect

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.

Season 3 Episode 1: Trade

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, Colorado with support from the Mesa Verde Museum Association and the National Park Service.

Season 3 Episode 2: The Trade of Cacao

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 wherever you listen to podcasts, and learn more at mesaverdevoices.org.

Mesa Verde Voices is produced by KSJD Community Radio in Cortez, Colorado with support from the Mesa Verde Museum Association and the National Park Service.

Season 3 Episode 3: Trade Of Pottery

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. 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, Colorado with support from the Mesa Verde Museum Association and the National Park Service.

Season 3 Episode 5: Trade of Color... Feathers

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 tinkling sounds of rain.

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, Colorado with support from the Mesa Verde Museum Association and the National Park Service.

Season 3 Episode 6: Trade Of Color... Turquoise

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 been part of the fabric of society for Hopi, Pueblo, Zuni people for thousands of years.

Subscribe, rate, and review Mesa Verde Voices wherever you listen to podcasts, and learn more at mesaverdevoices.org.

This is the final episode of our 3rd season, Mesa Verde Voices will be back with more new episodes this fall.

Mesa Verde Voices is produced by KSJD Community Radio in Cortez, Colorado with support from the Mesa Verde Museum Association and the National Park Service.

Season 3 Episode 7: Trade Of Textiles

A podcast connecting modern people to those who lived in the Mesa Verde Region hundreds of years ago.

Popular tracks by Mesa Verde Voices