Mesa Verde National Park and Four Corners
For those of us who
love history, Mesa
Verde is nirvana.
There are hundreds of
these cliff dwellings
scattered throughout
the area.
Many of them are in
remarkably good
condition.  Some date
back nearly 1000 years.
Cliff Palace is the
largest dwelling in the
park.  
Archaeologists
estimate that 100 -
120 people lived
there.
Cliff Palace was
discovered in 1888 by
two cowboys while
looking for stray cattle.
This is the remnants
of a kiva, a ceremonial
chamber.
There were no
elevators, so the
residents entered/
exited the old
fashioned way.
These steep and
narrow entrances
were easy to defend
against attacks.
Those who were
overweight or had
bad knees didn't
survive long here.
This cliff dwelling is
known as the square
tower.  Wonder why?
The large Sun Temple
was never finished.  
No one knows for sure
why the Puebloans
abandoned the area.
Mesa Verde is a
naturally beautiful
area regardless of
its historic value.
The views from its high elevation
provide an outstanding panorama
of the surrounding countryside.
We were there after
one of the great fires.  
The good part of this
fire is that many new
archaeological sites
were discovered when
the vegetation was
removed.
After Mesa Verde we
traveled to the Four
Corners area where
Colorado, Utah, New
Mexico, and Arizona all
meet.  
We share a hug
while standing in
different states.
Martha poses with a
young Navaho man
who made a custom
seed pot for her.  He
had a booth set up at
Four Corners to sell
his pottery.  We
stopped a second
time there as we went
into Utah to pick up
the finished work.