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Mesa Verde National Park, established in 1906, is located in southwestern Colorado, at an altitude of 2,600 meters above sea level, and is protected within towering cliffs.
Within the national park lies a mysterious site on the cliffs that captivated the world's attention, particularly that of archaeologists, after it was discovered by two cattle herders on a cold winter day in 1888. While searching for their lost cattle, Richard Wetherill and Charlie Mason stumbled upon the area, and what they saw astonished them. Perched on the sheer cliff face was a ruined city, most notably a majestic palace.
This mysterious palace on the cliff has sparked speculation about a mystical people living in villages perched precariously on the cliffside. However, after numerous surveys and studies, archaeologists realized that it was the work of the ancestors of the Indiana Pueblo (also known as the Anasazi) people in the Southern United States. They left no written records or documents, only this imposing structure on the cliff for posterity.
The site is known to span an area of 210.7 square kilometers.2With over 600 houses built side-by-side on the cliff face, protected by walls, these homes are scattered throughout Mesa Verde National Park. Some houses are even multi-story and have balconies.
Documents record that the Anasazi arrived in this region around 550 AD, building houses and cultivating crops in the mountains. Around 1150, they began moving into the gorges, constructing settlements nestled in shallow caves and beneath rocky outcrops along the cliffs. Most of the houses built in the gorges were small, but some were larger and could accommodate 250 people (approximately 150 rooms).
The Indiana Pueblo people lived under a matriarchal system: women held ceremonial positions and were heads of the household; men were responsible for farming. During excavations and research, archaeologists found artifacts inside the houses such as baskets, pottery, seeds, and farming tools of the ancient Indiana Pueblo people.
The climate in this area is semi-arid. Water for the daily life and agriculture of the ancient Pueblo people was supplied by summer rains, while in winter snow seeped into springs near the villages of Mesa Verde. At altitudes of around 2,100 meters, the climate is cooler, ideal for agriculture; however, the low temperatures also reduce the amount of water needed for farming. The houses built into the cliffs are designed to take advantage of solar energy. The limited angle of sunlight in winter illuminates these cliff houses, and warm breezes blow from the valley, bringing air temperatures of 10-20°C.oTherefore, it is warmer inside the canyon hollows than outside. In the summer, these houses in the cliffs also help the residents avoid direct sunlight.
In 1300, a prolonged drought caused the collapse of the Pueblo civilization, and the Mesa Verde region was abandoned. However, the reality was that the area had been uninhabited long before that. The very small number of Pueblo people who remained after the 10th century retreated into the deep forests, leaving the Mesa Verde region in ruins.
Today, Mesa Verde is located within the national park of the same name in the United States and is one of the most carefully preserved sites. Within the national park, archaeologists have found as many as 4,400 archaeological sites, including houses, villages, and cliffs. Mesa Verde National Park is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site because its landscape is evidence of the development of the ancient Pueblo culture and history.
