Cliff Living

Cliff Living at Mesa Verde National Park

Southwestern Colorado, close to Durango, holds one of America's most remarkable archaeological treasures: Mesa Verde National Park. The park offers striking natural scenery, yet it is the ancient cliff dwellings that earned it worldwide recognition. The structure pictured here, Cliff Palace, is widely regarded as the largest cliff dwelling in North America.

Cliff Palace ancient cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado — Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park

A Glimpse Into Ancestral Pueblo Life

Cliff Palace was home to ancestral Pueblo peoples from roughly 550 AD until 1300 AD, a group often called the Anasazi, a Navajo term meaning "Ancient Ones" or "Ancient Enemy." Because they left no written records, much about their daily life remains uncertain; what is known suggests the men hunted and farmed while the women were accomplished basket weavers. Their departure from Cliff Palace is still a mystery, though many speculate they abandoned the area following a drought that lasted 24 years.

Strolling among the adobe structures feels like standing on sacred ground. Cliff Palace is an extraordinary achievement, all the more impressive given that it was constructed around 1,500 years ago and remains in excellent condition today. If your travels ever bring you to southwest Colorado, a visit to Mesa Verde is well worth your time.

Reader Comments

Chantal

What a great image, nice angle too

Dave DiCello

Wow, what a cool capture Len at an incredible vantage point. Enjoy your weekend man.

Marc Collins

What an interesting place Len. Nice shot!

Rick Louie

Wow, it's been years since I've been there. I remember climbing in and out of the dwellings with my son in a toddler back pack on a hot day. Very cool place! Thanks for sharing!

Steven Perlmutter

What a fascinating place. And very well captured Len.

Chris Nitz

Fantastic angle on this. I want to visit here and walk around. So cool.

Jimi Jones

Outstanding find, Len. Love the way you shot this. I'd sure like to visit that place some day. Nice post!

Curt Fleenor

Great shot Len, love the level of detail! This is somewhere I must visit one day.

Chris Frailey

That is such a cool place. We visited there a few years back and enjoyed every minute of it. Nice work Len.

A.Barlow

That's so freaking cool man. Nice perspective on this shot. Good job!

Edith Levy

Wow this is an amazing shot. The POV is unreal. Love it.

Jim Nix

very cool Len, that's a place I have wanted to visit for some time now, thanks for sharing!

Toad Hollow Photography

A highlight of my day! I saw this on my iPhone RSS reader this morning and have been anxiously trying to get to my PC to look at it big and check out this post! To say it didn't disappoint would be a MASSIVE understatement! This is one of my favorite pictures I've seen all week. Good LORD, Len, what an amazing shot, and the story that you've written here only adds so much more interest to it! Fan-flippin-tastic!

Simon Morris

Wonderful shot Len - almost tilt-shift like... superb work!

Anne McKinnell

Nice perspective, I would love to visit this place.

Victoria (Sweden)

Wow, very nice picture!

Phillip Burrow

Great shot Len. My family was on a trip back in 2000. We were planing to stop at Mesa Verde, but that year there was a huge fire that closed the park. It was so amazing to be able to see the smoke from 75 to 100 miles away.

Adam Allegro

Beautiful capture. I would love to visit this place. Where did you take this shot, looks like you were up high?

Len

There is a viewing area above the dwellings. It's pretty amazing that the Anasazi built this so long ago.

Kris Koeller

What a great spot. I've driven by there many times, but never stopped. Can you explore the area, or do you have to keep your distance? Well done!

Len

The vantage point from where this was taken is accessible to the general public. They have guided tours of the dwellings themselves. We were waiting for our tour to start. I snapped this image while the tour group ahead of us was a bit to the right. The tour itself is very cool.

Justin

I haven't been back to MV for 20years. We have it on the list for next year though. This is a great image!

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