Mesa Verde National Park

Mrs. Berg’s Family Trip July 2009

Cliff Palace

• Recent studies reveal that Cliff Palace contained 150 rooms and 23 kivas and had a population of approximately 100 people. Out of the nearly 600 cliff dwellings concentrated within the boundaries of the park, 75% contain only 1-5 rooms each, and many are single room storage units.

• If you visit Cliff Palace you will enter an exceptionally large dwelling which may have had special significance to the original occupants. It is thought that Cliff Palace was a social, administrative site with high ceremonial usage.

• Remember the kiva?

• Look for the sipapu.

• Notice there is a wall in front of a hole in the wall. It let the air in, but provided a wind block so the fire wouldn’t go out.

petroglyphs

• Look carefully on the walls in the next picture. What do you see?