https://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm
Mesa Verde National Park is also a part of the World Heritage Museums. When I usually think of parks I just think of lakes and hiking. This park is part (no lakes) of that and more. There are some hiking trails, but because of COVID most trails are closed. More importantly than the trails is the history here. This is where the Ancestral Pueblo people lived for over 700 years! I know there are a lot of places where the people have lived in a particular place for longer, but these people did it differently and to think – with no modern tools. Most of the Ancient Pueblo people lived communally. They worked together and built structures with several rooms – think old school apartments. The Ancestral Pueblo people first lived on top of the mesa and then moved to the crevices on the sides of cliffs! No one knows exactly why the Ancient Pueblo people chose to move off the mesa to the cliffs. Speculation would be, they chose to move for safety and if the canyon was filled with water, this put them closer to the source. Archaeologists found at least 600 of these cliff dwellings and some 4,300 artifacts as they have been researching this area. Some dwellings were clustered together and some were spread out. They also found a place that was probably like the town square. The artifacts found there helped develop this theory. After witnessing this place in real life, I just don’t know how they did it. To get to their homes they had to scramble down ladders or use ropes made of yucca woven together. At one of the sites they found a woven rope 1,350 feet long! Looking at the dwellings there defiantly was growth in their living over the 700 years.
Take 1…
Take 2…
Take 3!
The first Ancient Pueblo people lived in Pithouses. These are houses they built in the ground. They entered the house through the roof.
These circular structures are called Kiva’s. These were sacred rooms for ceremonies or tribe meetings. The Kiva would only be entered by the men in the tribe.
Look closely just below the top of the mesa. There is a carved out area (arch) that resembles a rainbow shape. One of the dwellings can be found here.
The Square Tower got its’ name for obvious reasons. It is difficult to see how moving to these kinds of dwellings was better than living on top of the mesa. Several families would occupy this dwelling. Look for the circular structure again – that is the ceremonial place – another sacred place.
Designated driver!
Before moving to the cliffs, the Ancient Pueblo people lived on the top of the mesa. The archaeologists found 3 different communities built on this site – one on top of the other. They were farmers. They planted corn, beans, and squash. These 3 things were all they needed to survive if they couldn’t find anything else to eat. They also hunted rabbit, deer and other animals.
Can you see the door that leads back to the main house. These people were TINY!
The square opening here is for ventilation. They would light their fire in the center and hold their ceremonies around the fire.
Close-up of a doorway.
This is one of the cliff dwellings found. Can you imagine if it was your turn to walk the dog???
This dwelling is a larger community. Several families and generations would live together. The other thing to think about is the canyon was probably full of water back then. You can see this by the layers on the side of the canyon.
Look closely at this photo, you can see that this dwelling is “double” layered.
Looking at the center top, it looks like an arch. The New Fire Temple and New Fire House are located here.
When you think of the cliff dwellings, it’s the Cliff Palace that comes to mind. When purchasing a souvenir, the companies use the Cliff Palace photo as their dwelling photo of choice. This place was akin to our town squares. There are at least 150 rooms. Several foot paths lead to this place. The archaeologist think this place was like our government offices like today. This is the place where no “home” artifacts were found. Of course it is just speculation. The cliff dwellings that the archaeologists are certain were homes had their “trash” thrown down the cliff side. They found bones, bowels, utensils and a lot more. It’s funny to think they were the original litterers, but if they hadn’t littered we would have an even lesser understanding of them.
Like the Cliff Palace, the Sun Temple seems to be a place of gathering for the surrounding villages.
Sunday morning Zoom Zoom and I tried to hike the Petroglyph Point Trail. Unfortunately, the trail wasn’t fully open. We did have a good hike though and made the best of it. We had spectacular views of the canyon.
These next 3 photos are of the same dwelling. There are no other dwellings near this one. I was using my binoculars and just scoping out the canyon, noticed the boulder that looks like a pot with a lid and I just kept looking and saw the dwelling. It still baffles me as to how they were able to live here!
As we toured the park, we were fortunate to see several different kinds of wildlife. From mule deer to wild horses!
Designated Boxer Driver 
Baby mule deer 
Run deer, run! 
Young buck 
Cotton tail rabbit 
Cotton tail 
Cotton tail 
Lizard 
Mom and her twins 
Cutie pie 
Big man on campus 
He just strutted next to our car. 
Daddy buck 
Whole family