United States
Mesa Verde
Welcome to Colorado! Mesa Verde protects hundreds of ancient stone homes that the Ancestral Pueblo people built tucked into the cliffs, over 700 years ago.
Why is it famous?
It holds some of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in North America.
Cliff Palace, its largest dwelling, has over 150 rooms built right into the rock.
How was it built?
The Ancestral Pueblo people carried stone, mud, and wood up steep cliffs to build homes in sheltered alcoves.
They used hand and toe holds carved into the rock to climb up and down to their fields above.
Amazing facts
Mesa Verde has more than 600 known cliff dwellings.
People lived here for over 700 years before moving away in the late 1200s.
Quick facts
- Mesa Verde has more than 600 known cliff dwellings.
- People lived here for over 700 years before moving away in the late 1200s.
- Cliff Palace alone has about 150 rooms and 23 circular ceremonial rooms called kivas.
- The dwellings were built tucked under rock overhangs, which helped protect them from weather for centuries.