Mesa Verde National Park Archaeological District
Montezuma County
This is the most extensive and well-developed example of pre-historic cliff dwellings in the United States. The ruins trace the development of the Anasazi as they moved from the early pithouses on the mesa-tops to the large apartment complexes built in caves on the cliff walls of the canyons.
Mesa Verde National Park Archaeological District (1975 photograph.)
More than 4,000 excavated and unexcavated mesa-top and cliff-side sites dot the more than 50,000 nominated acres of the park. Declared a National Park in 1906, Mesa Verde is also important as a landmark of cultural preservation in the United States. It was one of the nation’s earliest attempts to preserve a large tract of archaeological ruins and a collection of artifacts through federal legislation.