Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde

Fascinating, that is how I describe Mesa Verde National Park.  As you drive from Durango to Cortez, you see the Green Table ahead of you, and it is very impressive.  Even more impressive is when you drive into the park, and you climb up the Mesa in your car.  I cannot imagine walking this area as the Ancestral Puebloans did. 

One of the canyons in the Mesa

Descending the stairs to get a closer look at Cliff Palace

Cliff Palace: a bustling area in 1200 A.D.
City hewn into the side of a rock

Kiva is a room where ceremonies were held.
It also served a place to stay warm during the frigid winters,
note the fire pit in the center

Alyssa going into a Kiva at Spruce Tree House

To get out of Cliff Palace you had to climb several ladders. 

We took stone steps, and ladders to get in and out of the cliff dwellings, but the original residents came down from the mesatop by means of hand-and-toe holds carved into the sandstone cliff. WOW!


The day we visited, there were Native Americans dancers that performed.  I've read about the costumes and instruments when I teach Native American music in Kindermusik, but I was fortunate to experience it in person while at Mesa Verde.  The dancers wear ankle bells and use rattles as they dance, just like I teach the kids!

Alyssa and I did the Friendship Dance at the end of the demonstration,
then had a photo op!

Looking into rooms at Sun Temple, A.D. 1250

A windy, sand blowing day at Mesa Verde, hence the poor visibility!