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| Cliff dwellings have always held a special facination. Mesa Verde's with the largest and most numerous of anywhere in the SouthWest, is a World Heritage site. Early peoples farmed the upper plateaus, and built their homes in south-facing alcoves under the rock. There are hundreds of sites, ranging from this village to single outposts and storage buildings. This valley is a river gorge carved in stone. A stream still flows at the bottom, and a trail leads to the shaded grotto-like place where villagers fillled their water jars. |
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This site is open to the public, even a kiva, which has been de-sanctified. Kivas are sacred underground chambers, always round in form, that function as centers for each clan for such activities as ceremonies, meetings and teaching. |
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This site has had a fair amount of restoration, as it gets hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. The rangers say that roughly half are from foreign countries. |
The main plaza, with the ends of a ladder thrusting through the entrance to a kiva. |
Inside the kiva (restored). The short stone wall deflects incoming fresh air to alleviate drafts. A small fire would often burn in a special pit, with the smoke rising through the square entrance opening. |
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