The area known as the four corners of the United States is unique because the boundary lines of four states meet there. The area is even more special to me because of the prehistoric people that inhabited the region long before the current political boundaries were established. Long deserted villages, farms, storehouses and ceremonial structures show these people lived in a civilization with sophisticated architecture, agriculture and cultural practices. The inhabitants came to the four corners region as hunters and gatherers and later developed a system of agriculture based on maize, beans and squash. The population grew because better food sources and improved shelter became available. Domestic activities varied among the people. Many continued their hunting and gathering tradition while learning new agricultural practices. Some were architects and engineers. Some were shamans and astronomers. Some were potters and weavers. Just as our own civilization has diversity in the population, the same must have been true then. Archeologists studying tree rings from timbers used to build their structures show none were constructed after about 1265 A.D. Why the Ancestral Pueblo people moved south to the Rio Grande valley and places in Mexico is still debated among archeologists. Overpopulation? Climate change perhaps? Persistent drought and shorter growing seasons are well documented from those ancient tree rings. Maybe that story is told in the many petroglyph panels seen throughout the canyonlands. These special cultural resources are a treasure in their own right and deserve to be preserved for future generations. Enjoy the photos and please tred lightly when visiting these places.