Photographing Mesa Verde: Nordenskiold and Now

Fifteen years before Mesa Verde became a national park, a young Swedish scientist explored and photographed its landscape and cultural sites. Clambering up and down sheer cliffs while hauling heavy, cumbersome equipment. Gustaf Nordenskiold produced vivid images. Publication of his comprehensive study of the ancient ruins the following year brought worldwide attention to the area. For the centennial year of Nordenskiold's work, two couples fully recreated his photographs. The resultant images contrast the natural and human-inflicted damages of centuries with the stabilized structures visible today. Photographing Mesa Verde presents those images along with a fascinating narrative about Nordenskiold's work at Mesa Verde.