Take a deep dive into Southwestern history

Even adults can take field trips.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is offering a six-day Mesa Verde Tour from Monday, Aug. 21, to Saturday, Aug. 26. Participants can learn about the history and roots of Southwestern culture.

Among the places on the itinerary: Durango, Colorado; Silverton, Colorado, where a train ride is planned; and Mesa Verde National Park, the largest archaeological preserve in the United States.

“This is one of the most fascinating places in the southwest when it comes to ancient archeology,” said Jesús García, one of the tour guides and a cultural conservation research associate at the museum.

“Ancestral Puebloans chose Mesa Verde as their home over a millennium ago, building an elaborate culture among the canyons and cliffs.”

The $2,975 cost includes most meals, double-occupancy accommodations and luxury coach transportation. It’s suitable for adults and teens.

According to the museum’s website, participants must be able to walk unassisted at a moderate pace up to one-half mile over irregular terrain, at elevations from 7,000 up to 9,700 feet.

García’s fellow tour guide, Fred Nials, is a geologist and archaeologist. He will discuss rocks and rock formations and will also help interpret the findings at Mesa Verde.

García is all about people.

“I focus on the Hispanic culture, the heritage of northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado, the history of the first Europeans arriving to this area in connection to Arizona and Sonora, northern Mexico,” García said.

“I also try to focus on modern Native American culture in relationship to food, ethno-history and natural history.”

First stop: Kayenta on the Navajo Reservation.

García’s specialty is plants and culture, so it is important to him that participants see what real life is like for those who live there. He also covers modern Native American issues, such as water, agriculture and food availability.

“One of the things that I find very intriguing and I continue to research and interpret is essentially the people,” García said.

There will also be time for shopping.

“We (will) visit one of the oldest trading posts in downtown Durango,” García said. “It’s one of the best Navajo rug places to shop.”

Other stops include, but are not limited to, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument; Winslow, where the tour will dine at the famous La Posada Grand Railroad Hotel, a one-time Harvey Girls Hotel; Meteor Crater; and Aztec Ruins National Monument.

García, however, is looking forward to the Mesa Verde stop. He is hoping to lead the tour on a hike to some of the ancient dwellings where the National Park Service allows visitors.

“Visiting the cliff dwellings up close and personal is one of the most significant experiences for anybody to see basically a glimpse of the culture of these peoples,” García said. “To me, that is one of the most amazing experiences.”

Although he and Nials are archeologists and versed in ancient Native American cultures, there is a lot scientists don’t know about the Cliff Dwelling peoples.

“We don’t know what language these people spoke,” he said. “We don’t know what the life was. There are so many clues through archaeology, but you can only go so far.”

The tour is limited to about 18 people, so there will be an opportunity to ask questions and get complete answers.

“The travel itself, the journey, is what matters,” he said. “From the moment people step on this bus, they are moving in a rolling classroom.”

South of the Border Tours and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum’s Mesa Verde Tour

WHEN: Monday, Aug. 21, to Saturday, Aug. 26

WHERE: Various sites

COST: $2,975

INFO: For information about the itinerary or logistics, call Debby Bernier, 520-760-4000; or email southofthebordertours@msn.com. For questions about payment, call 520-883-3025; or email education@desertmuseum.org.

To see the itinerary, visit www.desertmuseum.doubleknot.com/adult-trips-and-classes/75596

This article appears in Aug 3-9, 2023.