Woods Canyon Pueblo

Life on the Edge

Southwestern Colorado is a dry place. The average rainfall there is only about 13 inches a year. In times past, Pueblo people relied on winter snow and summer rains, but they also had to be prepared for periods of drought.

The ancient Pueblo people were excellent water conservationists, and they even built special structures such as reservoirs and checkdams to help manage water.

Walter BigBee lives in the Southwest today.

Click on Walter's photograph to read his thoughts about the importance of water in this dry landscape,

The ancient reservoir near Woods Canyon Pueblo might have held 40,000 to 50,000 gallons of water after large storms. That is about as much water as in two family-size swimming pools. During dry times, though, the reservoir was probably empty.

Melissa Churchill is an archaeologist who excavated the reservoir at Woods Canyon Pueblo.

Click on Melissa's photograph to learn her thoughts about the reservoir.

Because the reservoir did not always have water in it, the people who lived at Woods Canyon Pueblo must have had other, permanent water sources. There are springs in the canyon bottom, close to the site. These year-round water sources would have been very important to the people of Woods Canyon.

Did Pueblo people choose to live on the edge of Woods Canyon because of its good water resources?

Explore all five theories, then select which theory you think best explains why Pueblo people lived at Woods Canyon Pueblo.