S2: Ep2--Corn, Turkeys, and Megadroughts: The Ancestral Puebloans

Throw out the romantic, sci-fi garbage about ancient civilizations "vanishing into thin air." In our first deep-dive into the Colorado dirt, we head down to the Four Corners to examine the brilliant engineering, cosmological precision, and ultimate real estate blunders of the Ancestral Puebloans. From subterranean pit houses to the multi-story cliffside bunkers of Mesa Verde, we break down how an agrarian society thrived in an arid canyon landscape for generations—before a vicious cocktail of ecological overreach, deforestation, and a catastrophic twenty-four-year megadrought turned paradise into an unlivable oven. Instead of treating Mesa Verde like an eerie, empty museum, we dissect the forensic reality of what happened when the water ran out: intense resource competition, fortified stone architecture built out of pure paranoia, and the calculated decision to pack up and migrate south into the Rio Grande basin. The people didn't disappear—they adapted, relocated, and became the ancestors of modern Pueblo nations who are still here today. Strap in as we look past the postcard arches to see what happens when human hubris picks a fight with the Colorado climate. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/4th-period-u-s-history--5621461/support. Visit the class at Spreaker.com and follow! Link to the page HERE!  It would mean a lot and go a long way in helping grow class! Thank you for your support!