Mesa Verde National Park
United States ·
Description
Mesa Verde holds cities carved into cliffs 800 years ago. Ancestral Puebloans built villages of up to 150 rooms in natural rock alcoves, with ladders as only access. Cliff Palace is most spectacular, but over 600 cliff dwellings hide in canyons. Then they disappeared, leaving only mystery.
Why It's a World Heritage Site
Mesa Verde contains North America's most important concentration of cliff dwellings. Ancestral peoples developed unique construction techniques adapted to the environment. The mysterious 13th-century abandonment adds fascination.
UNESCO Criteria
Frequently Asked Questions
For containing North America's largest concentration of cliff dwellings with unique architecture.
It was inscribed in 1978 under criterion (iii).
Unknown for certain; theories include drought, conflict or resource depletion.
Only with guided tour for Cliff Palace, Balcony House and Long House; must reserve.
Spanish for 'green table'; Spanish explorers named the forest-covered plateau.