Johnette Williams

Period 4

February 28, 2019

Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings Essay

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

and other organic materials.

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

Palace have unknown uses such as the circular tower.

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,

lack of resources, or violence.