Colorado Springs archaeologist protects the past

Colorado is in a constant state of development. But who protects important historical sites when land is shifted and covered with new roads and homes?

Anna Cordova is the city’s archeologist. Which she admits is a unique job. She helps the Colorado Springs protect its rich past and says the surface of Garden of the Gods is changing.

“We have almost as many visitors each year as the Grand Canyon,” Cordova says.

Just beneath the ground there are artifacts, some have not been seen in more than a century. Each one shares long-kept secrets.

“It’s a little scary about what you could tell about peoples’ trash,” she said.

Part of the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Office, Cordova manages more than 5,000 acres in Colorado Springs Parks.

We live in a place that has a lot of history,” she said, “I was really interested in [archaeology] from the time I was a small child.”

It’s a job that has her in a hurry. Sites, like the detention pond on the northwest side of the park mean newly exposed earth. But the earth it doesn’t stay exposed for long.

“You definitely have a limited window of time before you have to do what you have to do. You have to study it and then get out of there,” she said.

Cordova is a 7th generation Coloradan with Navajo ancestors.

“On my dad’s side of the family,” she said, “Definitely has some indigenous heritage there.”

She says the state is a treasure-trove of history. Just this month, a large network of Native American ruins was unearthed just outside Durango, Colorado – as CDOT realigns portions of the US Highway 550 interchange.

Cordova has made her own discoveries. She found two large dump sites from the late 1880’s and now knows they belonged to William Palmer, the founder of Colorado Springs.

“We have all of Palmer’s trash which is really fascinating. And a lot of it is really well-preserved,” she said.

She says new development will never stop, but learning more of the story is critical in these changing times.