COLORADO Experience Colorado’s Native Roots Colorado is home to two federally recognized tribes, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Southern Ute Mountain Tribe in the southwestern region of the state. However, Colorado has historical ties with 51 contemporary tribes. At the heart of this region, the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez strives to make the past accessible and relevant for people of all ages so they can learn about the diversity, dynamic cultures and histories of the American Southwest. “We really like to highlight the unbroken continuity of past and present people. A lot of visitors who are coming from out-of-state often think about Indigenous people as being of the past, that they are no longer here or they abandoned their area or they moved away, and it’s really not the case,” said Sarah Payne, chief outreach officer at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. “There are many different language groups within the Pueblo world. There are also Diné (Navajo), Jicarilla Apache, Paiute and Ute — many diverse cultures and vibrant communities today that maintain their language, traditions and connections to these ancestral places that are very much alive in that sense.” The nonprofit was founded in 1983 when its co-founders had a vision to build a center that could study the long-term occupation of human history in southwest Colorado. Working in collaboration with Indigenous peoples — preceding the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 — the center has been able to produce valuable research and bring free education to the public about this remote part of the world. The center’s website shares 40 years of resources, as well as one of the largest archaeological databases in North America that is accessible to the public. Crow Canyon’s weeklong travel seminars and workshops incorporate many different perspectives and voices while providing a cultural-immersion experience. Guided by the Cultural Explorations team of tribal members, cultural specialists and archaeologists, small group tours are led into ancestral landscapes and tribal communities in a way that helps travelers connect the past to the present. However, if you have an itch to become a citizen scientist, Crow Canyon collaborates with the Cortez Cultural Center to host two weeklong archaeological surveys of Hawkins Preserve, a natural and cultural area just south of Cortez. Participants are invited to contribute to the research actively being done in the area to better understand the human occupation of this landscape over thousands of years. While in the area, Jon Ghahate — Crow Canyon Archaeological Center educator and Pueblo member of the Laguna and Zuni tribes — recommends a visit to Mesa Verde National Park . As the largest archaeological preserve in the U.S., this park protects the rich cultural heritage of 26 tribes, offering a unique window into the past. The park’s cliff-dwelling tours allow visitors to explore the world-famous masterpiece of architecture and design at Cliff Palace — the largest cliff dwelling in North America. Take the Balcony House tour to follow in the footsteps of the Ancestral Puebloans that once lived there. On this tour, you’ll scale the face of a cliff via several tall ladders, squeeze MILES PARTNERSHIP Ute Tribal Park in Towaoc COLORADO . COM 79
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2025: Page 79
