Mesa Verde
National Park
In southern Colorado, the Mesa Verde National Park preserves13th
century cliff dwellings. This photo shows Cliff Palace, which was "discovered"
by the Wetherill brothers in the 1880s. Today, 170,000 tourists visit this
park annually.
Why might
this site have been selected?
Today, the Pueblo Indians (or "village
people" as the Spaniards called them) are descendents of these cliff dwellers,
and they have been especially successful at retaining their culture.
Archaeological sites show the development of houses and
religious structures (kivas).
Answer:
site: protected
from the upland areas and therefore from attack by other Indian groups
Created by Ingolf Vogeler on 1 June 1996
