Tag: Cliff Dwelling

Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

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If you’re traveling in the southwest, Mesa Verde National Park in the Four Corners region is a must-see destination!  Even though most of the cliff dwellings at the park were partially reconstructed long after the Ancestral Puebloans migrated, they are still amazing.  One of the dwellings you can visit is Cliff Palace, which is the largest cliff dwelling in the park.  I loved exploring this amazing site built by the Ancestral Puebloans over 800 years ago.  During the 1200s, the dwelling likely had 100 residents.  Based on archaeological studies, there were likely 150 rooms and 23 kivas; kivas are typically circular, underground or partially subsurface, spaces used for religious purposes.  The Ancestral Puebloans would live in cliff dwellings like Cliff Palace, while farming on the top of the mesas.  By the end of the 1200s AD, however, most of the inhabitants had migrated elsewhere due to a number of factors, such as environmental degradation to overpopulation.

One thing to keep in mind while visiting Mesa Verde is that the Ancestral Puebloans didn’t simply ‘disappear’ or completely abandon the area.  That’s an unfortunate myth surrounding the Ancestral Puebloans.  For one, their descendants include the modern Pueblo tribes of the Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, and Laguna—so the Ancestral Puebloans didn’t vanish, they moved.  And, they migrated to other parts of the Four Corners over a long period of time, hardly all at once.  As with visiting any archaeological site, it is important to remember to visit with respect and care.

For more information:

https://www.nps.gov/meve/learn/historyculture/cliff_palace.htm

https://www.visitmesaverde.com/discover/cliff-dwellings/cliff-palace/

Moon House Ruins, Bears Ears National Monument

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This well-preserved cliff dwelling, located on Cedar Mesa within Bears Ears National Monument, was built by the Ancestral Puebloans sometime between 1150 and 1300 AD.  The pictographs and painted walls are what draw visitors to this beautiful site.  I was able to photograph the interior of Moon House, but the lighting was too poor to capture the pictographs.  I highly recommend hiking this area and exploring the archaeological sites.  As ever, be respectful of the site: do not touch the rock art, do not sit on or lean against the cliff dwelling walls, do not take any artifacts, etc.  This fragile site is just another example of why this area deserves the preservation and protection that can be provided under a national monument.

General Information/How to Get a Permit:

https://www.blm.gov/visit/kane-gulch-ranger-station

Colorful Rock Art and Cliff Dwellings: Palatki Heritage Site

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Situated in the beautiful canyons of Sedona, AZ, Palatki Heritage Site is an archaeological site with cliff dwellings and beautiful rock art.  These Sinagua cliff dwellings date between 1150-1350 AD.  The rock art includes pictographs in a variety of symbols and shades.  The rock art is amazingly well preserved; I have rarely seen such a variety of colors incorporated.  The cliff dwelling is a little difficult to properly explore (you see it from a distance), but the rock art is highly visible.

*As ever, be respectful when visiting these fragile archaeological sites.  Never touch rock art, as that can destroy the images.  Be careful not to disturb the architecture and remember it is illegal to take artifacts.

Learn more about Palatki:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/ohv/recarea/?recid=55368&actid=119

Favorites in Archaeology, Part 1: Keet Seel

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From Mesa Verde to Chaco Canyon, the American Southwest holds unique archaeological ruins of massive pueblos and cliff dwellings dotting the landscape. How ancient peoples managed to survive and thrive in such challenging conditions (i.e. minimal rainfall, etc.) is truly impressive. One of my favorite cliff dwellings is Keet Seel (or Kiet Siel), which is located at Navajo National Monument in Arizona. Keet Seel, one of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in the United States, is truly an archaeological smorgasbord. There are thousands of artifacts scatter around the site, well preserved rooms to peek into, and beautifully painted rock art. This cliff dwelling is not the easiest place to get to and it is closed to visitors much of the year. When I was asked to help monitor impact of water and wind erosion at Keel Seel, I jumped at the opportunity. The hike to Keet Seel winds through steep canyons and has visitors sloshing through muddy streams most of the way, but the site is worth every uncomfortable moment.

Like other cliff dwellings in the region, Keet Seel is situated in a niche oriented toward the southeast, providing shade during the hottest months and deriving heat from the winter sun. Construction at Keet Seel began around 1250 AD, when considerable numbers of people were amassing at larger sites throughout the southwest. Construction peaked between 1272 and 1275 AD, but halted around 1286 AD. Approximately 150 people lived at Keet Seel during the height of construction. The site itself was abandoned during the early 1300s.

This site is incredibly fragile and is not accessible to visitors without a permit. Although in an isolated location, Keet Seel is under threat of looting and general off-season visitation. People are constantly getting “lost” by going off trail and trying to find the trail to Keet Seel, even though the site is a long 8 mile trek from the Visitors Center; maybe they think the rangers are lying about the distance—they’re not. True, this site is incredible and worth the trek to visit. However, how can we—as cultural resource managers—balance the importance of public education with preservation? Through a whole lot of educational outreach and preservation work!