Mesa Verde National Park - Research Paper Example

I had an opportunity to study various artifacts of the ancestral inhabitants of the area. The baskets that were used by the Pueblo Indians provided an insight into their daily lives. The baskets indicate a culture that was engaged in agriculture as the baskets were used to store grains. The weaving skills were also utilized in making mats, clothes and blankets which were used domestically. I studied various pottery items such as jars, bowls, and pots used by Ancestral Pueblo Indians (“Preserving the “Works of Man”).

Pottery was an important economic activity for the inhabitants. Ceramic objects were used for cooking, holding food, and storing water. I took a walk in some farms and water control systems around Mesa Verde. I learned that the water control systems were used to divert water from streams and rivers to the farms. The systems were necessary for irrigation because of the low rainfall that was experienced in the area. In the farms, the Pueblo Indians cultivated such crops as beans and corn. The crops helped to supplement the diet of the inhabitants who were chiefly hunters and gatherers (Ortman, Glowacki and Varien 15-26).

Over time, the Pueblo Indians domesticated various wild plants as they increased farming efforts and reduced hunting and gathering activities.   I had an opportunity to observe various awls and spikes that were used by Pueblo Indians in their hunting activities. The awls were made out of animal bones and the spikes were made from wood. The awls indicate a culture that relied on hunting.