Update
Onward
Mesa Verde National Park
There is nothing so American as our national parks. ... It is, in brief, that the country belongs to the people, that it is in process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us.
Palaces of the Past
Step into the past and experience the lives of one of America’s oldest cultures, the Pueblo people.
Listen to the stories these cliffs tell and reflect how man can weave his life so seamlessly with nature.
Mesa Verde National Park’s cliff dwellings are just one wonder to be found at this national park in
Colorado, which also includes protected wilderness.
Located in Southwestern Colorado, Mesa Verde, "Green Table" in Spanish, National Park offers an unparalleled opportunity to see and experience a unique cultural and physical landscape. Including more than 4,000 known archeological sites dating back to A.D. 550, this national treasure protects the cliff dwellings and mesa top sites of pit houses, pueblos, masonry towers, and farming structures of the Ancestral Pueblo peoples who lived here for more than 700 years. This national park gives us a glimpse into the places and stories of America’s diverse cultural heritage.
The cliff dwellings are some of the most notable and best preserved sites in the United States. After living primarily on the mesa top for 600 years, the Ancestral Pueblo peoples began building structure under the overhanging cliffs of Mesa Verde—anything from one-room storage units to villages of over 150 rooms. Decades of excavation and analysis still leave many unanswered questions, but have shown us that the Ancient Pueblans were skillful survivors and artistic craftsmen.
National Park Foundation has worked hard to preserve the important Hopi culture, whose lives are intertwined with the mysterious homes in the cliffs as well as the Pueblo people. Our programs team worked with partners to create an innovative way to preserve this culture through multimedia efforts.