Imagine you are an Ancestral Pueblo person looking for a place to build a home. Can you identify the resources that make this a good place to live?

You are standing at 7,000 feet (2,130 m). This might seem like a high place to farm. However, the southward slope of this plateau provides more sunlight and warmth, lengthening the growing season. The prevailing southwesterly wind also deposits rich sediment. Mesa Verde receives an average of 18 inches (46 cm) of precipitation annually, split between winter snow and late-summer thunderstorms. This pattern allows for farming without irrigation. 

The porous sandstone caprock soaks up some of the seasonal moisture. The water percolates through the rock before seeping out, forming springs below the canyon rim. These seep springs provide an important water source to plants, animals, and people alike. Over time, water-laden rock dissolves carving the alcoves you see across canyon.

The mesa is home to more than 1,000 species of plants and animals. These species provided food, tools, clothing, and medicine. Today, the landscape provides a dramatic backdrop, but for the Ancestral Pueblo people, the land supplied everything.

What natural resources make your home a good place to live?