Established in 1906, Mesa Verde National Park encompasses the oldest
cliff dwellings in North America. Built between 600 and 1300CE, these
cliff dwellings once housed generations of Ancestral Pueblo people and
their houses and artifacts can still be seen and enjoyed today. Nearly
5,000 archaeological sites within the Park that are being
protected and explored both via Ranger guided and self-guided tours. The
hikes are steep, and the air is thin, but there is an endless amount of
history to experience at Mesa Verde National Park.
The Mesa Verde cliff dwellings: the structures were constructed from
hand-cut stone blocks and adobe mortar. Each cliff dwelling had two or
more kivas—underground circular rooms used mainly for ceremonial
purposes