Gezicht op een ruïne bij een waterreservoir in Mesa Verde National Park before 1893

This is Gustaf Nordenskiöld's "View of a Ruin by a Water Reservoir in Mesa Verde National Park," a small monochromatic image which documents an expedition to the American Southwest. In the late 19th century, sites like Mesa Verde became subjects of intense scrutiny by archaeologists and anthropologists, driven by a colonial impulse to catalogue and understand cultures deemed "other." Nordenskiöld, a Swedish scientist, was among those who sought to document these landscapes. The image presents a serene, almost romanticized, view of ancient ruins. Yet, its creation is deeply intertwined with the fraught history of colonialism and cultural appropriation. The act of documenting, collecting, and interpreting cultural artifacts often disregards the perspectives and rights of indigenous communities. Nordenskiöld's work, while contributing to the scientific understanding of Mesa Verde, also raises ethical questions about the representation and ownership of cultural heritage. Consider how the artist's gaze shapes our understanding of this place, and whose stories might be missing from this picture.