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Period 4
The Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings were built between 450-1300 C.E. by the Ancestral
Puebloan people. The structures are located in Montezuma County, Colorado, and are made out
of stone, mortar and plaster. The stone and mud mortar are supported by wooden beams adapted
to the natural clefts in the cliff face and the sandstone was shaped using harder stones. This was a
new building technique from other dwellings that were made from adobe. The houses are built
directly into the cave both on top and in/along the mesas. There are over 600 structures which are
composed of architectural units and kivas. Kivas are underground circular rooms used for ritual
purposes. They had a wooden roof held up by sandstone columns, a firepit in the center with a
vent and a deflector, and a small hole in the ground called a sipapu for ceremonial purposes.
There are also small rooms off the hearth that are thought to act as storage rooms and have holes
large enough to squeeze an arm through to grab items. The walls are decorated with fragments of
murals and other paintings depicting geometric designs, plants, and animals. The geometric
designs were used to represent the geography of the land. Mesa Verde means “green table” and
refers to the mountain landscape. The paintings and murals were pigmented with clay, minerals
The dwellings originally functioned as both a residential and ceremonial space and had
roofs. Ceremonies still take place, however the Mesa Verde structures aren’t specifically used
and now have no roofs. The space around the buildings was used as a small plaza while the
building itself had circular and rectangular rooms for living. One room in the dwelling that was
facing the plaza was usually used for family gatherings. Some of the structures of the Cliff
Ancestral Puebloans lived in the Mesa Verde for about 850 years and were mainly
sedentary farmers. Not everyone lived in the Mesa Verde, but the structures there are the best
preserved. Farmers used to live closer to their crops, however they later moved closer to water
sources and would walk far to reach the crops. Although the exact reason for the cliff dwellings
is unknown, it was possible they were built as a way to protect against invaders and snow and the
cliffs provided shade. The buildings were abandoned around 1300 CE probably due to drought,