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Location:
New Mexico
Interest:
Exploring North America
Price Range:
$1000 - $1500
Start Date:
5/2/2010 - 5/9/2010
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Summary       Daily Schedule       Meals & Lodging       Travel Details       Dates & Prices

Mesa Verde Country, Colorado


Four Corners Canyon Country

Prices for this date starting at: $1192 per person

Date selected:


9/26/2010


MOST
POPULAR!
Number: 13157RJ

Duration: 7 nights

Theme: Exploring North America; National Parks

Meals: 21 total, 7 Breakfasts, 7 Lunches, 7 Dinners

Activity Level: 4
(see description)

Itinerary: Albuquerque, NM 1 night; Mesa Verde National Park, CO 3 nights... More


From the lonesome spires of Monument Valley to the mineral streaked walls of Canyon de Chelly and the vast cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde, immerse yourself in the finest offerings of the Four Corners region. Begin with an exploration of the Anasazi culture in southwestern Colorado, visit the Anasazi Heritage Center and spend three nights in Mesa Verde National Park. Discover America’s richest archaeological preserve and World Heritage Site. In Canyon de Chelly explore Navajo life with cultural presentations, a Navajo art/craft demonstration, and field trips to the canyon’s rim and interior via 4x4 vehicles. Spend a full day exploring the starkly sublime and fabled Monument Valley, backdrop of many John Ford westerns. Visit historic Goulding’s Trading Post and take a Navajo-guided 4x4 trip into the valley. Hear the real stories of Navajos living in this beautiful southwestern landscape.



Short walks with some steep ascents and descents and some short ladders. 4x4 vehicles used over rough terrain; must be able to get in and out. Elevations from 5,000 to 8,000 feet.



Program in association with Northern Arizona University, offering educational Southwestern adventures for over 25 years.



Itinerary

Arrivals Albuquerque, NM, 1 night; coach to Mesa Verde National Park, CO, 3 nights; coach to Chinle/Canyon de Chelly, AZ, 3 nights; coach to Albuquerque by noon on final day for mid-afternoon flights (after 2pm).



Mesa Verde Country

Mesa Verde Country encompasses rich archeological and natural treasures, from the cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloans at Mesa Verde National Park to the spectacular red rock scenery in nearby canyons. The area is just a short drive from the Four Corners region along scenic byways and through quaint western towns, including Cortez.




Click here for this program's daily schedule

Suggested Reading List

Acculturation in the Navajo Eden: New Mexico, 1550-1750


Author: Seymour H. Koenig, Harriet Koenig


Description: A treatise on the archaeology, history, ethnohistory, linguistics, and religion of the peoples of the Southwest-the Navajo, Keresans, Tanoans, Utes, Spaniards and Anglos, who are the tapestry of that land. This book is about people-where they lived, what they believed, and how they interacted with others. 344pp


Dine Bahane: The Navajo Creation Story


Author: Zolbrod, Paul G


Description: This is the most complete version of the Navajo creation story to appear in English since Washington Matthews' Navajo Legends of 1847. Zolbrod's new translation renders the power and delicacy of the oral storytelling performance on the page through a poetic idiom appropriate to the Navajo oral tradition. Zolbrod's book offers the general reader a vivid introduction to Navajo culture. For students of literature this book proposes a new way of looking at our literary heritage.


Diné: A History of the Navajos


Author: Iverson, Peter; Roessel, Monty


Description: This comprehensive narrative traces the history of the Navajos from their origins to the beginning of the twenty-first century. Based on extensive archival research, traditional accounts, interviews, historic and contemporary photographs, and firsthand observation, it provides a detailed, up-to-date portrait of the Diné past and present that will be essential for scholars, students, and interested general readers, both Navajo and non-Navajo. As Iverson points out, Navajo identity is rooted in the land bordered by the four sacred mountains. At the same time, the Navajos have always incorporated new elements, new peoples, and new ways of doing things. The author explains how the Diné remember past promises, recall past sacrifices, and continue to build upon past achievements to construct and sustain North America's largest native community. Provided is a concise and provocative analysis of Navajo origins and their relations with the Spanish, with other Indian communities, and with the first Anglo-Americans in the Southwest. Following an insightful account of the traumatic Long Walk era and of key developments following the return from exile at Fort Sumner, the author considers the major themes and events of the twentieth century, including political leadership, livestock reduction, the Code Talkers, schools, health care, government, economic development, the arts, and athletics. Monty Roessel (Navajo), an outstanding photographer, is Executive Director of the Rough Rock Community School. He has written and provided photographs for award-winning books for young people. 432pp


Traveling Indian Arizona


Author: O'Brien, Anne


Description: This empowering guide introduces readers to the Native American communities of Arizona. Traveling Indian Arizona covers the etiquette, present-day culture, traditions, cuisine, and arts of contemporary Arizona Native Americans. With this attractive illustrated book in hand, tourists will be prepared to explore the state's 21 tribal communities. 320pp


Warriors: Navajo Code Talkers


Author: Kawano, Kenji


Description: The American offensive in the Pacific during World War II [was] hampered by the Japanese ability to crack the most secret U.S. Codes. Navajo was virtually unknown outside the reservations, ... and [their] code proved uncrackable. Kenji Kawano's striking photographs capture the quiet dignity of the surviving veterans as they recall their actions --Los Angeles Times 128 pp





Back to Back Adventures
Choose a nearby learning adventure to add before or after this program:

New Mexico:
Heart of New Mexico: Albuquerque and Santa Fe
9/19/2010 - 9/25/2010
apx. 3 miles from program

New Mexico:
Santa Fe and the New Tastes of Southwest Cuisine
9/19/2010 - 9/24/2010
apx. 59 miles from program

Arizona:
Pueblo Heritage: The Anasazi, Hopi, Zuni and Chaco Canyon
10/4/2010 - 10/10/2010
apx. 132 miles from program

Click here to see more options