Think about the Mesa Verde region as a multicultural region.

In season 3, we’re talking all about trade.

“We have this nexus: people coming together and deciding to form community. And what community meant was sharing.”
— Bridget Ambler, Supervisory Curator, Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum

For thousands of years, the Mesa Verde region has been part of a hemispheric trading network where people were connected all the way down into Central and South America, over into the southeastern United States, and as far west as California.

We find items such as turquoise traded from New Mexico and Arizona, Glycymeris shells coming from the California coast, macaw feathers and cacao coming from Mexico, intricate textiles woven from yucca and cotton, and the exchange of pottery vessels and techniques between neighboring communities.

In this first episode of Season 3, we hear from Bridget Ambler, Supervisory Curator for Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum located just north of Mesa Verde National Park. She tells us about what trade looked like in the Southwest 1200 years ago.

Looking for more?

Well, you’ve come to the right place.

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument

To find more information about the collections at Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum - or to plan a visit - check out their website or follow on Facebook.