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Did Anasazi vanish, or are they still here?
For us who are not Indians, I'd say, think of the ancient dwellings as great cathedrals.
Once there, I climbed the hill to the small ruin that overlooks the countryside for scores of miles in every direction. Although I could hear the distant sounds of traffic below, there was no one else nearby.
I walked carefully, looking down upon the walls of the few ancient dwellings and the moderate-sized kiva. In the silence, I imagined what life here might have been like for the ancient ones.
Surely, they could see approaching enemies days before they might arrive for an attack. At the same time, they could have seen signal fires from the enormous Chaco complex many miles south. Why was Chaco enormous and built and rebuilt over centuries? Did people actually live there? Signs indicate the population was never large.
The people at the Anasazi ruin could also have built their own signal fire to alert the those at Chimney Rock, midway between Durango and Pagosa Springs.
But were there signal fires or any other sort of communication among the far-flung communities of the ancient Puebloans? It's a mystery. Just as it is a mystery as to where they went after vanishing from this region in A.D. 1150.
Archaeologists have many theories about what happened to them. Indeed, there is always a new theory concerning the Anasazi.
Personally, I do not understand why we need any theory at all. The ruins are all around us. The Indians are all around us. If you ask them where the ancient ones went, they'll say: They went nowhere. They are us. We are their descendants. We honor them and continue their religious practices. There are many changes of course, but clouds also change continuously.
For us who are not Indians, I'd say, think of the ancient dwellings as great cathedrals. Say, for example Chartres in France. Chartres was built by a community over many, many years. It is an offering to God. And what God has blessed must not be wantonly destroyed.
Everyone understands that, just as everyone understood that Monte Casino in the mountains of central Italy should not be bombed during World War II. Unfortunately, it was bombed, but it took a special dispensation by the pope to do it. Did the pope have the right to allow it? I'd say no. He knew it would be bombed anyway. Still, it has been rebuilt with the original materials. So perhaps God is satisfied.
As I descended from the Anasazi ruin, I experienced feelings of tranquility and well-being. I had arrived and hurried up the trail, thinking it was my duty to return after a long absence.
I'll return again. But when I do, I will be in no hurry. I'll recall the peace, the silence and the feelings of well-being that await me. That is the power of the ancient places. There are no reasons for hurrying, there is plenty of time. More time than I'll ever need. And on the far horizon, eternity is waiting.
Charlie Langdon is the Herald's senior critic. He can be reached at langdons@gobrainstorm.net.
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