Mesa Verde National Park

We had a lot we wanted to see our one full day in Mesa Verde.  Our first stop was the overlook of
Cliff Palace, which usually is open for ranger led tours but is currently closed for stabilization.  A knowledgeable ranger was available to answer our many questions.

Cliff Palace from across the canyon, taken later in the day.

When we signed up for the Balcony House tour, which was at 10:00 A.M., we were warned that it included climbing three ladders, one of which was about three stories high, as well as passing through several tight spaces, one of which was a tunnel we had to crawl through on our hands and knees.  So we knew it would be an adventure.  But the experience of entering the living space of the Early Pueblo People was magical, made even better by experiencing entry and exit in a similar way to how they did it!

Our ladder is far more substantial than the original, which would have been one log with notches cut into each side.

The ceiling is blackened from many fires

Looking down into a Kiva, believed to have been used as a communal and ceremonial room. It would have been covered by adobe over logs, with a small opening at top for entry.

Most of the pantings have disappeared, but this faint image of a hand remains

These timbers are all original, and about 800 years old.

Archeologists have identified about 90 different sites within the park.  Some would have housed just a few families, others would have been home for well over 100 people. Altogether the population of the area is estimated to have been about 6,000.  The occupants migrated out of the area, settling farther to the south, in the late 1200's, having occupied these complex and spectacular dwellings for only around 100 years.  There is no definitive answer as to why they left, though an extended drought and a growing population are sure to have contributed.  Rangers here are saying that evidence of invaders has not been found.  The only conflict seems to have been among the people themselves, when dwindling resources threatened survival.  Elders of tribes who are descended from these people say that their mythology has always told them they would migrate until they found their permanent home and this was all part of that process.  The cliff dwellings were abandoned by 13000 A.D. and remained undisturbed until being sighted by ranchers in the 1880's.

After our tour of Balcony House we took a short walk to Spruce House.

Roofs have been added to the kivas here to show how they would have looked when occupied.

This kiva was "restored" in 1914, using concrete instead of mud for the roof.  Visitors are invited to go inside.

Inside the kiva.

We drove along the canyon edge, stopping at viewpoints to see cliff dwelling ruins on the opposite canyon wall...

Balcony House, which we had toured earlier. Note the ladders in bottom right (where tours enter) and upper left (where they exit.)  Between the canyon wall and the huge rock on the left, there is a small slit containing a 12 foot tunnel. That was the original entry point.

Note hand and toe holds carved into the rock just left of center in this photo.  This type if access was used a great deal by the occupants of these dwellings.

This is thought to be a gathering place and dance hall, since there was no evidence of habitation here.

Then, as we were driving "home" for the night... a spectacular sky...

Today we leave this very fascinating park and head to Farmington, NM, our starting place to explore Chaco Canyon and other sites in that area.