Includes index.

Gregory McNamee guides you on a memorable tour through 50 national and state parks, monuments, and other cherished sites in the modern American Southwest. Simultaneously, he leads you far back in time, to the eras when the earliest human beings lived in what is now Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. These ancient people left intriguing clues: pueblos, tools, pottery, jewelry, baskets, petroglyphs, pictographs, clothing, kivas, and weavings. From such evidence, archaeologists can reconstruct sophisticated cultures with advanced knowledge of astronomy, architecture, agriculture, and art. In more than 130 spectacular photographs, Larry Lindahl captures the essence of these remarkable locations, including Mesa Verde National Park, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Navajo National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historic Park, Canyonlands National Park, and many more.