Grade 6: Prepping for the Famous Southwest Trip
Students are preparing for a week at Mesa Verde by learning about the history of the area and its original inhabitants. Today, teacher Justin Miera will share his family’s involvement in exploring the area in 1776. Justin’s ancestor, Captain Don Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco, was a cartographer on the Dominguez-Escalante expedition through Colorado, Utah and Arizona.
Students are preparing for a week at Mesa Verde by learning about the history of the area and its original inhabitants. Today, teacher Justin Miera will share his family’s involvement in exploring the area in 1776. Justin’s ancestor, Captain Don Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco, was a cartographer on the Dominguez-Escalante expedition through Colorado, Utah and Arizona.
“Their goal was to find a land route from Santa Fe to the west coast outpost of the Spanish empire in Monterey, California,” says Justin. “They didn’t make it because they got lost and winter was coming, but his maps of the area were used by Lewis and Clark during their expedition in the early 1800s.”
Miera y Pacheco is memorialized in a stained glass frieze displayed in the Colorado Supreme Court. For more about this famous map maker, see the 2015 biography Miera y Pacheco: A Renaissance Spaniard in Eighteenth-Century New Mexico.
Earlier this week, students examined authentic artifacts from the Anasazi Heritage Center, such as pottery fragments, arrowheads, tools and beads. To test their knowledge of historical facts, sixth grade historians used observational skills to identify the items, describe how the pieces were used and to pinpoint time periods.
“It’s cool to see the artifacts made by Indians,” says Owen Karshmer. “These aren’t things you can just go in the store and buy.”
Students also completed a trip packet titled, “Understanding Mesa Verde and the Ancestral Puebloans,” a comprehensive overview of the geography, people and significance of the area. As part of the assignment, they worked on individual and group projects related to ancient people and civilizations.
Next week, Graland alumnus Eriks Humeyumptewa ‘81 will talk about his Hopi heritage as a descendent of this Native American tribe that settled in Arizona and Colorado. He will share details about the culture and history of his people.
Half of the sixth grade will go on the Southwest Trip on April 24-29 with a group of chaperones and the rest will travel May 1-6. The trip involves camping outdoors and excursions including archeology digs, pottery making, self reflection and much more.
“I’m looking forward to visiting all the museums and seeing ancient history,” says Olivia Murane. “It’s fun and interesting and exciting.”
Read Josh Cobb’s article, Lessons from Pancake Rock, for more about the trip.
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
