Golden Gate Photo - Mesa Verde National Park Gallery

Golden Gate Photo - Mesa Verde National Park Gallery
Fine Art Photography from Mesa Verde National Park in Southwest Colorado.

Mesa Verde National Park lies in the table lands (mesas) rising above Montezuma and Mancos Valleys in southwest Colorado. The park is a site where the Hisatsinom - the "Ancient People" (formerly referred to as Anazasi) lived between 550 and 1300 A.D. Using the natural arches along the mesa walls as roofs, most of the cliff dwellings were built sometime between 1200 and 1300 A.D. from sandstone bricks and mud/water mortar. By this time, the population may have reached into the thousands. Less than one hundred years later, the site was deserted. One theory is that because the latter part of the 13^th Century was a time of drought and crop failures, the Ancient Puebloans were forced back to a nomadic existence in search of natural resources that were depleted around Mesa Verde.

	Cliff Palace The Cliff Palace is the biggest and most visited of the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde. Here is a close-up of the dwelling. It was a village of over 200 rooms. Print No. A03-12-7
	Square Tower House The Square Tower House is nestled along the eastern side of Navajo Canyon. Including a four-story tall structure, this dwelling originally containing a total of 80 or more rooms. The remnants of 60 rooms and 7 kivas can still be seen. Print No. A03-12-9
	Sunset House from Sun Point The plateau which forms the canyon walls and provided the enclaves in which the cliff dwellings were formed is a 70 to 100 million year old Cretaceous-age sandstone. Print No. A03-13-1
	Balcony House This was taken from across a small side canyon at the Balcony House Overlook. Balcony House is in the upper right corner of the image, which shows the impressive tiered walls of the canyons in which the cliff dwellings were built. Print No. A03-12-8
	Pithouse The pithouses were living areas constructed on the mesa top around 550 A.D. by the first Ancient Puebloans that settled the area. They had supporting timbers and roofs, along with firepits, air deflectors, as well as storage areas. This pitroom was occupied around 700 to 950 A.D. Pithouses eventually evolved into kivas. Print No. A03-12-11
	Sun Temple and Mummy House This was taken from Sun Point, looking north. Sun Temple is in the upper left, on top of the mesa. Mummy House is just below the Sun Temple, in the bright orange sandstone cliff. Here is a close-up of the Mummy House. The Cliff Palace can be seen in the upper middle background, across Cliff Canyon. Print No. A03-12-12
	New Fire House and Oak Tree House Also taken from Sun Point, looking northwest. The New Fire House is in far left distant cliff face. The Oak Tree House is the more prominant cliff dwelling on the right. Print No. A03-13-2

BACK TO COLORADO GALLERY   BACK TO WESTERN U.S. GALLERY   BACK TO MAIN GALLERY

For all photograph orders, please record the Print Number and Title and refer to the Order Form. Have comments or suggestions for this website? Send Me an E-Mail