Southwest Survival

Southwest Survival. . Dryland Farming The first workable system for farming Colorado's dry southwestern plateau emerged near here some 2,000 years ago. Over the next twelve centuries, ancient farmers gradually developed a series of techniques , water storage, plant breeding, precise planting cycles, and (beginning around A.D. 900) check-dam irrigation , to coax crops from the desert. What they couldn't control through technology, they sought to influence through ritual and prayer. These early farmers planted smaller fields and reaped thinner harvests than their modern-day counterparts, but the magnitude of their accomplishments cannot be overestimated. In addition to building the first settlements in present-day Colorado, they perfected a model for dryland farming., Even with the technology of the twenty-first century, this is not an easy land to master. Surviving here with first-century technology required toughness, ingenuity, and faith. The extremes of temperature and scarcity of water helped shape the culture of ancient populations; they, in turn, brought their culture to bear on the land. From the sixth century on, local populations farmed extensively, and by the tenth century their small check-dams and reservoirs provided water to help make these acres fertile. They also developed weaving, yucca ropes, and crafted turquoise jewelry. Throughout the period, they conducted a brisk trade with neighbors to acquire whatever the earth or their inventiveness could not provide. What little they had to work with, these primeval pioneers worked to perfection , they survived in this harsh land for more than a thousand years., Captions , Left: Black and-white pottery found near Cortez. The pottery styles, from left to right, are Piedra, Cortez, and Mancos, and all date between A.D. 900 and 1100. Colorado Historical Society , Right: Using efficient and ingenious techniques, the ancestral Puebloans were able to create a sustainable agricultural system that lasted for over a thousand years. Courtesy National Park Service