The Southwest US.. is home to some of the densest archaeology in North America, largely thanks to a preservation-conducive climate and a diversity of cultures spanning thousands of years. This made Colorado's Crow Canyon Archaeologica Center the ideal region for Time Team America's first foray. 

The Time Team Field School toured Mesa Verde, the first national park created specifically to "protect the works of man," as Theodore Roosevelt put it. It's also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here's what a park tour looked like circa 1939 (image courtesy Library of Congress)

And today, with our Time Team Lost Publo Village Field School participants.

The Puebloan architecture remains as magnificent as ever. Perhaps the most awe-inspiring site is Cliff Palace. With 150 rooms and 32 Kivas, it is the largest known cliff dwelling in North America. 

Back at the Dillard site, Justine, Allan, Chelsea, Meg and Joe, and the rest of the Time Team crew, wrapped up an intense three days of survey and excavation.

Fate saved the best for last, in the form of several unexpected Day 3 discoveries. Here, Chelsea wields one half of a piece of Basketmaker III technology. What is it? Clue: The dark part is a depression.

The Time Team pushes on to Oklahoma, but the dust will not settle at the Dillard site anytime soon. Crow Canyon will continue with their archaeological work, and the field school participants will continue to learn about Pueblo cultures and the scientific methods used by archaeologists, while this guy keeps a sharp eye out for wayward trowels.