Mesa Verde National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cliff dwellings were created around 600 a.d. and were occupied into the 13th century. These pueblos, built into the rock faces of the cliffs held between 100 and 200 rooms. The five images allowed in this series are merely the tip of the iceberg of my exploration of more than a dozen different dwelling areas in this 80 square-mile region. It is my intention to publish a limited edition portfolio as a boxed set of prints. They will likely be a combination of Color, Sepia and Black & White.
I have been fascinated with ruins since I first went to Cambodia in my early 20s and have been photographing ruins all over the planet ever since. I attempted to visit and photograph Mesa Verde in the mid 1980s. It was an experience that nearly cost me my life. At that time all the roads had no guard rails and trying to reach the ruins in a sudden wet snowstorm caused the rear end of my car to break loose. After fishtailing back and forth over the road' I ended up against the cliff face rather than over a very steep and undoubtedly fatal drop.
Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cliff dwellings were created beginning around 600 a.d. and were occupied well into the 13th century. These pueblos built into the rock faces of the cliffs often held between 100 and 200 rooms. There are various theories as to why the Anasazi Indians left the area. The general consensus seems to be that there was a 26 year drought during the 13th century, which caused the population to move south to New Mexico and Arizona.
I was delighted to go back now and do an extensive survey of the ruins accompanied by a Ranger during sunrise and sunset hours, before the ruins are normally opened to visitors. This enabled me to have a true vision of the scale of the ruins and to convey the sense of peace and solitude that is so intensely prominent while one is there. It is one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had and I have been in many of the sacred ancient spaces in this world. While I was with the Ranger at the first sunrise ruins, known as “Balcony Houseâ€, three large black ravens appeared, flew around and stayed with us for almost an hour. The Ranger was astonished that they came close and didn't fly away. We jokingly determined that they must be our Raven Spirit Guides. At the end of the day at ruins that are more than 25 miles away by road, I was with a another Ranger and after we descended into the ruins of “Long House†after a short time, 3 other large black ravens appeared and stayed with us again for more than an hour. I make no attempt to understand the significance, but we both were profoundly moved.
The five images allowed in this series are merely the tip of the iceberg of my exploration of more than a dozen different dwelling areas in this 80 square-mile region. It is my intention to publish a limited edition portfolio as a boxed set of prints. They will likely be a combination of Color, Sepia and Black & White.