AmericaQuest is an interactive expedition developed by Classroom Connect. For four weeks a team of scientists and explorers will work to unravel the mysteries surrounding an ancient Pueblo indian tribe. Follow along here for daily reports on the Quest.

AmericaQuest to explore the mysteries of ancient America

March 3, 2000
Web posted at: 3:26 p.m. EST (2026 GMT)

By John Fox

Beginning March 6, a team of archaeologists and explorers will embark on an online, interactive journey through the hidden canyons and majestic mesas of the American Southwest. The goal: to explore one of the greatest mysteries of ancient America.

Over a thousand years ago, a great civilization emerged in the "Four Corners" region of the Southwest. Ancient Pueblo Indians, often referred to as the "Anasazi," developed a highly advanced culture centered in the remote Chaco Canyon, located just 100 miles north of what is now Albuquerque, New Mexico.

At its peak, the Anasazi boasted the architectural masterpiece of Pueblo Bonito, the largest building in North America until the 19th century. From this center, extensive road systems spanned hundreds of miles and linked Chaco Canyon to dozens of smaller cities, while flashing beacons provided a means for communicating over vast distances.

On the Colorado Plateau, settlements moved over time from the tops of mesas to the elaborate cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde. Irrigation systems and other agricultural techniques allowed the Anasazi to successfully farm the desert, and long-distance trade brought colorful parrots, copper bells, and other ritual goods from cultures as far away as central Mexico.

Sometime around the year 1300, the world of the Anasazi changed forever.

After a century of archaeological research, all evidence indicates the Four Corners region was completely abandoned by 1300. Dwellings were left in ruins, some set on fire. Where did these people go? What drove them out?

For four weeks, millions of online collaborators will send our expedition team deep into the desert wilderness to find out why this first great North American civilization collapsed. To accomplish this goal, we will interact with the world's top archaeologists and other scientists.

We'll gather data using the latest scientific and historical methods available. We'll involve Hopi and Zuni Indians, descendants of the Anasazi who still inhabit ancestral lands, maintain ancient traditions, languages and ceremonies. Through their stories and songs, we'll gain a unique perspective on what happened to their ancestors some 700 years ago.

Join the Quest team from March 6-31, 2000, and explore this great American mystery.

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