| CLIFF PALACE MESA VERDE, COLORADO A last gasp of the Anasazi Culture. Mesa Verde was occupied by the Anasazi between 550 A.D. to 1300 A.D. Only during the last 100 years did they build cliff dwellings which were then abandoned by 1300 A.D. Set in an alcove 59 feet high and 89 feet deep, the largest cliff dwelling known as the Cliff Palace is 288 feet long with 23 Kivas and over 150 rooms. Based on the 25 to 30 rooms with hearths, the permanent population may have been over 100. Analysis of tree rings in wooden beams at the Cliff Palace date construction between 1190 A.D. to 1270 A.D. If you consider that the Anasazi are the ancestors of at least 21 contemporary tribes, you wonder why the cultural clean slate. Usually a culture that relocates for whatever reason keeps their traditions. So why was the Anasazi influence on their descendants' architecture, religion and customs at such a minimum? The last quarter of the 13th century was a time of drought, crop failures and warfare. There may have been a massive rejection of their ways. A fresh start may have been their best option. The mystery of why they left may never be fully explained. |
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| What a natural place for a settlement. The Cliff Palace is the largest, but there are many other sites at Mesa Verde. Click on the link for details. |
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| Of my seven wonders, it is the most photographed and perhaps the most famous. Click here for more photos. For pictures of what cliff dwellings looked like before excavation, click here. |
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