Colorado is home to some of the most culturally sensitive, scientifically significant, and beautiful archaeological sites in the world, ranging from internationally prominent parks and monuments to tens of thousands of undiscovered sites. These places deserve protection, appreciation, interpretation, and respect for their scientific, cultural, and environmental values.  

This report is intended to increase awareness and appreciation of archaeology so that Coloradans may recognize the value of these resources to them individually, to their communities, and to the state as a whole. A catalyst for this project, which was sponsored by History Colorado and funded by grants from the State Historical Fund, was a similar series of reports on historic preservation. The most recent edition, Historic Preservation for a Changing Colorado, highlighted the collaborative, everchanging, and statewide nature of historic preservation and the economic benefits of that work in Colorado. 

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This report is accompanied by a separate Technical Report that includes resources and citations from this document and describes the analysis, methodology, and findings of this project in further detail.