Visit to Mesa Verde National Park

On Thursday we visited the Mesa Verde National Park.  The Mesa Verde Park is home to some of the most famous sites used by the Pueblo people like Cliff Palace and Spruce Tree House.  This visit took place after we have learned some of the time periods of the Pueblo people and how their lives evolved with the introduction of corn farming and how different eras are marked by homes, pottery and lifestyle.

 On our visit we first went to two pit houses and were able to see the advancements made over time to the homes of the Pueblo people.  Seeing the advancements to the housing over time showed improvements on structure by building pit houses deeper into the ground, larger rooms and advances in ventilation.  

Pit Houses

Kiva

Taking in the views

Cliff dwelling

After visiting the pit houses we travelled to the Cliff Palace area.  Here we walked down narrow pathways and steep stairs to reach the Cliff Palace site.  Build under a cliff the community had many multistory homes and kivas with tunnels and even more structural advances.   The craftsmanship of the buildings included balconies and artwork designed in plaster on the walls.  After Cliff Palace we visited the Spruce Tree House cliff dwelling in another area of the park.  

Cliff Palace

Our Park Ranger guide to Cliff Palace

Stairs built by the CCC

Climbing up a ladder

Getting ready to hear some info about Cliff Palace from the ranger

Structure at Cliff Palace

Very different building structures

looking into a kiva

dwellings even in the upper portion of the cliff

Kim in Cliff Palace

art work in a tower

getting ready to descend to Spruce Tree House

Spruce Tree House with the roof still in place on two kivas

Buildings go deep into the cave

many people enjoying the views