Mesa Verde National Park was the first National Park created to preserve a man-made site. The natural beauty of the park is as jaw-dropping as any other park, but what makes this one unique are the cliff dwellings the Ancestral Puebloan people who lived in the canyon for over 500 years between 550 and 1300 AD. Twenty-six pueblos and tribes across the Southwest descend from the people that lived here.
The land of the National Park was originally on Ute land, but through a series of dishonest treaties on the part of the US Government, the tribe was forced to give up their rights to the land.
Spruce Tree House cliff dwelling, built around 1211-1278 AD. About 130 rooms where 60-80 people lived.
The sandstone canyon walls are smooth, worn by water, wind, tools, and hands. The cliff dwellings feel as if they were carved right into the stone, lives lived between the rocks, holding up the world above. Some of the villages have between 50 and 200 rooms.
In winter, the park is quiet. But the stones speak. Stories and handprints are etched into the rock itself. You can hear the wind, the squawk of crows, twittering birds and squirrels, and what feels like valleys of resounding echoes all around you.