Things to do / Travel Guide
Native Americans in the Four Corners of New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Colorado
The arid Four Corner region was originally inhabited by a succession of Native Americans from the Basketmakers to the Anasazi, and later by the Navajo and Apache, American Indian tribes who invaded from the north. The present day native tribes, including the Hopi and the Ute, survived the Spanish rule of the 17th and 18th centuries and were more or less ignored by the westward expansion of the United States in the 19th century.
The Native Americans left behind indications of just how developed their civilization was. Visitors to the Four Corner region can learn about the cliff houses, great houses and the extensive road system that served communities of over 100,000 people long before the arrival of the Europeans.
Recently discovered and quite significant to the development of Western Civilization was the fact that chocolate was being consumed at Chaco Canyon at least 800 years before Hershey, Pennsylvania.
History of the Four Corners as part of the United States
Even as statehood was granted to Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado, the Four Corners region was still remote and isolated even in their own state. Eventually, it was “discovered” by Americans through the eyes of John Ford and John Wayne, who brought the sweeping vistas of Monument Valley to a theater near you. Tourists followed, setting the stage for the current conflict between environmentalists, seeking to preserve the natural resources and others seeking to take advantage of the valuable mining and energy resources.
Historical Attractions in Durango and Four Corners of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado
History
|
|
|