Life in the Anasazi community of Mesa Verde is in some ways similar to your life today.  In other ways, life in Mesa Verde is very different than your life.  



Children in Mesa Verde lived with their families in homes that were built into the side of a mesa.  These homes were called cliff homes.  A cliff home has many rooms.  Inside the rooms, families kept things such as blankets made of turkey feathers, beds that were mats made from yucca plants, and pajamas woven from other plants.



All the families in an Anasazi community worked together to help each other live.  Men in the Anasazi community hunted, and also created tools for hunting, including sharpening arrows and making bows or spears.  Men also farmed crops and weaved clothes and shoes.  Women in the Anasazi community took care of the children and the home.  Women would cook, make pottery, and weave baskets.  They would carry their babies on their backs as they worked.  The children in the Anasazi community helped, too!  Children would collect water and would also help gather beans and corn.



Religion was an important part of the Anasazi culture, too.  The Anasazi used an underground room, called a kiva, for ceremonies.  The walls of a kiva had very colorful paintings.  Stone benches were built into the walls.  In the center of the room, a fire was built on the floor to provide warmth.

 

We know today about the Anasazi people because scientists have pieced together many clues by looking at artifacts.  Artifacts are objects left behind by a group of people.  Pottery, tools, pieces of clothing, and buildings are all artifacts.