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Native Americans
National Parks and Monuments
 Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park

A Short Reader

Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   4.74

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    area, mystery, southwestern, artists, exactly, among, several, pottery, life, inspire, study, reason, lived, group, culture, though
     content words:    United States, Four Corners, New Mexico, Mesa Verde, Ancestral Puebloans, Pueblo Indians, Mesa Verde National Park

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Mesa Verde National Park
By Meg Leonard 		  
1     There is an area in the United States named the Four Corners. It is where four states meet. They are New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah. Over 1,400 years ago, a group of people built homes here. They lived among the cliffs in southwestern Colorado. The name of this area is Mesa Verde. "Mesa verde" means green table in Spanish. People lived under the cliffs here for over 700 years. The people who lived here were known as the Anasazi. Today, we call them the Ancestral Puebloans. They are ancestors of today's Pueblo Indians.
 
2     The Ancestral Puebloans had many skills. They built amazing stone communities among the cliffs at Mesa Verde. They made baskets and pottery. Unfortunately, little is known about their lives. They did not leave written records. Scientists who study this area have found little to tell exactly how these people lived. They are able to study bits of things left behind by the Ancestral Puebloans. Through this, they have learned what the people ate and about some of the tools they used. Scientists have not solved the mystery of what happened to these people. For some reason, after 700 years of living in this area, everyone left. No one is sure why. It may have been caused by a drought. Enemies may have attacked. They may have left for other reasons. Scientists only know that this area was abandoned around 1300 A.D.
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