Photos of Mesa Verde National Park

in Colorado, United States

(where is it? entrance to Mesa Verde National Park is off HWY 160 between Cortez and Mancos)

Note: The ancient Puebloan cliff dwellings that you will
see in Mesa Verde National Park are not on Mesa Verde;
they are on Chapin Mesa and Wetherill Mesa.

The people that lived in these cliff dwellings lived on the 8,000 ft high Mesas from around 500AD to 1300AD
They created and lived in the cliff dwellings for only the last 100 years (1200-1300) and for some unknown reason left.
Perhaps the reason these hardy ancestors to the modern day Puebloan peoples left the area will some day be discovered.

Square Tower House Cliff Dwellings, Chapin Mesa	Square Tower House Close Up
Spruce Tree House Puebloan Cliff Dwellings, Chapin Mesa	Spruce Tree House Close Up
Cliff Palace Puebloan Dwellings, Chapin Mesa	Cliff Palace Close Up
Navajo Canyon, Mesa Verde National Park	Spectacular View of Snow Capped Spruce Mountain to the North