Early Mesa Verdeans raised their children, cultivated their crops, and carried out a way of life that had as its primary tenet that they were part of nature, not the architect of nature. The lessons they left could offer lessons today to educators, doctors, astronomers, farmers, and builders.

This handy guide takes the modern visitor to the heart of the Four Corners and its rich history of Anasazi sites.

As a group, cactus plants exhibit a curiously exotic, unique beauty. In the luminous photographs, atmospheric landscapes intermingle with stunning close-ups to marvelously evoke the stark beauty of the desert and the intriguing glow of rarefied flowers. Houk's lively companion text befits the stunning images. Along with apt descriptions of relevant Native American customs involving medicinal uses, Houk also provides an instructive chapter on desert...