Mesa Verde, Colorado
Mesa Verde is simply stunning. From above, the cliff dwellings look like dollhouses, but when up close their scale and workmanship is remarkable. Ancestral Puebloans first settled here 1400 years ago and constructed over 600 cliff dwellings from the 1190s to 1270s. It is amazing to see how their construction skills advanced over time and to get a glimpse of such a incredible civilization. By 1300, Mesa Verde was completely abandoned-probably due to resource depletion in the area, although there are other theories for what happened to the Ancestral Puebloans. Many of the cliff dwellings are very well preserved and we felt very fortunate to explore such a wonderful piece of archeological history.
