Cliff Palace: Colorado’s Pre-Columbian Marvel

[@geographicstravel]

To start comparing quotes and simplify the insurance buying process, check out Policygenius at policygenius.com/geographics. Thanks to Policygenius for sponsoring this video!

[@501Bravo]

Since you have covered most of the nuclear disasters on this channel, why don't you consider covering Three Mile Island?

[@andrewmalik3737]

Could you cover the Indus River Valley Civilization next, please?

[@g94433]

My tribe among many others throughout the southwest US you see present day originated from here. I am from Ohkay Owingeh, Pueblo. Which translates to “Place of the Strong People.” My Tewa name is Kho Pín which translates to “Buffalo Mountain” This is our original home and glad to see content covered by this!

[@lewismooney3941]

How did you receive your name? What were your traditions? I’m fascinated! I’ve been entranced by Native American history since I was 16. I’m now 40. I grew up in nez perce country which I’ve researched endlessly but I’m very interested in your story!

[@yt.personal.identification]

Do you know why they left the region ?

[@Bri-no9yq]

@@yt.personal.identification he should ask his great great great great great great great great great great grandpa

[@yt.personal.identification]

@@Bri-no9yq Maybe he already told someone, and the story has survived. Why do I even need to explain that?

[@Bri-no9yq]

@@yt.personal.identification :|

[@catsandcrafts171]

I visited Mesa Verde in 1994 - it blew my mind. It's magnificent and eerie and just beautiful. One fact that hit home though was how relatively recent (to an English person) this is - I overheard an American lady say '1275', and I said 'my favourite pub was built in 1275' (Strines Inn, Peak District). But what a world apart... a lonely English moors way-side inn for travellers, vs an entire community in a frightening landscape of canyons and buzzards. Hard lives on both sides. Anyway you look at it, Mesa Verde is something worth seeing, and the surrounding countryside is epic and awe-inspiring! You've made me want to go over there again.

[@MacKennaTheGoddessofRadiation]

If you ever come back, go to New Mexico as well. Chaco Canyon is there and it's thought to be where they had originated from

[@rowdymays9078]

Eerie is a great word! It was beautiful/mystical but it made me uncomfortable walking the trails around the area. Something unsettling about the place, super interesting

[@catsandcrafts171]

@@MacKennaTheGoddessofRadiation I so desperately wanted to get as far as New Mexico but we hired an RV from Denver and travelled round for 2 weeks, we got down to Mesa Verde but didn't dare go further in case we hadn't left enough time to get back! One day though, one day, I'll be back!

[@catsandcrafts171]

@@rowdymays9078 Yes! We were the same. It felt like a place for quiet reflection. We moved away from the touristy lookout points, it felt wrong, and just went for walks around on our own. I was also happier viewing the dwellings from afar, I had no desire to go traipsing round them in a tourist group. It really is a very special area if you just chill out and let the atmosphere sink in. x

[@MacKennaTheGoddessofRadiation]

@@catsandcrafts171:D I wish you luck. Want to go again with friends one day. Maybe well see one another

[@xFatalGG]

For anyone interested in visiting the site you'll want to go sooner rather than later as every year more and more of the site gets closed off due to decay.

[@johnchedsey1306]

Thankfully there's still overlooks at the top of the plateau to view the ruins. It's not the same as the guided tours, but it still is amazing.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:25 - Chapter 1 - The basketmakers 4:40 - Chapter 2 - Palace of stone 7:55 - Mid roll ads 9:25 - Chapter 3 - Bygone world 13:45 - Chapter 4 - The great migration 17:35 - Chapter 5 - Remembrance of things past - Chapter 6 -

[@IlRyanWilsonlI]

Doing gawds work!

[@johnhayes7590]

Thanks

[@justinkelly7878]

A few other facts I remember from my visit: 1. They had a natural water spring at the back of the cave that is pretty neat to see. 2. The dates of building of individual buildings were determined from the rings in the type of tree used in building. 3. They had to carry supplies in on some scary “ladders”

[@rcolorado2364]

Nice to hear an English chap give me a history lesson on my own neighborhood. No but really great video, and if anybody wants to come visit, it's beautiful!

[@Rose-From-the-Dead]

Not quite my neighborhood, but I'm a Colorado native from Frisco and one of my best memories from childhood was taking a multi-day field trip to Mesa Verde. Such a great place!

[@kyleeconrad]

I cant learn anything anymore unless its told to me in a moderately posh British accent.

[@kanesn0633]

Colorado Springs checking in.

[@kieronparr3403]

To be fair it's probably written by a yank

[@plutoloco2378]

I’m from Alamosa!! I love this.

[@302racing3]

“Basketmaker III” *This time, it’s personal* Coming to a rock hut near you, 550AD

[@kingjellybean9795]

I thought the franchise lost its steam after basketmaker II

[@bretty7012]

Ricky Gervais fan?

[@Dovietail]

You missed an important aspect of desert home building. The fact that they were located under these South facing rims meant that they got full sun in the cold winter months and full shade in the summer as the sun moved overhead. Our desert house has a South facing gallery all the way across the upper floor that does the same thing. We rarely have to turn on the heat and do not turn on the air until it is ninety five degrees or higher.

[@kathyclevenger1015]

I swear, Simon, that quote, at the end, gave me goosebumps. Thank you for all your hard work. Please never stop making these videos.

[@shanesnider8645]

Beautifully made vid mate. Another reason to respect Teddy Roosevelt, and his decision to protect natural American land. cheers from Texas

[@karinbinnie1862]

The video didn't really stress the genius of the location of the Cliff Palace and other cliff dwellings. They had previously lived in pit houses on top of the mesas with the freezing wind blowing. Some suffered from arthritis as evidenced by the crutches they left behind. The genius is that the buildings are shaded by the cliff overhang in the summer and warmed by the sun in the winter with the cliff back blocking the freezing north wind. The spring in the back of the village was a big bonus.

[@CaptainMirro]

I took a tour of this place as a kid with my dad and brother. Had a blast and thought it was so freaking interesting.

[@johnkigerl]

I actually live in Colorado so I've been there a few times and it always amazes me to see

[@dmdrosselmeyer]

Me, too! My pops was a geologist so we went all over the west rockhounding, fossil hunting and checking out museums and archeological sites; it was as much fun as a little boy could ask for lol. Can't wait until my son is old enough to do it all over again!

[@graxo3752]

I just went through montana Wyoming south Dakota, and Oregon on a road trip. The mid west has so much cool history, it's amazing.

[@vainoleppanen8971]

6:53 The Finnish word "kiva" translates to "nice". Most definitely a coincidence but I suppose the shared family space could be a nice place to be :). Well, depends on your family :D.

[@kristoforperkola6923]

Really nice touch ending the video with a quote from a native descendant. Cool video.

[@beautoner]

My Grand parents took me there 40+ years ago. As so many others here attest, it is definitely a place that leaves a lasting impression and wonder. Especially on a young person.

[@Louis_Davout]

Yup... Last time I saw it was the summer of 1981... I'd been there several times before, but that last trip left a greater impression...

[@robertrogers7938]

Mesa Verde and Choco Canyon are absolutely amazing and beautiful.

[@jajssblue]

There's no pictures or videos that can give the scale and depth of this place justice. The climb on that 30 ft ladder as a preteen was intense and incredible. Such an amazing experience and totally beautiful!

[@EricZhan1214]

I just visited Mesa Verde this past June. Unfortunately Cliff Palace was closed due to road construction, so you cannot go down to visit. But if you take the 700 years tour, you still see it in distance.

[@maxwill6408]

This was a pretty good presentation Simon, my hat is off to you. There is much smaller cliff dwellings in southern New Mexico called Gila Cliff Dwellings Monument located in Gila Wilderness area. These dwelling were built by the Mogollon culture.

[@kennethwalker8402]

I liked this video but at about 7:15 you said the Kivas were open to the sky and used by each family. Kivas were roofed over and used mainly for religious purposes which were kept hidden from all but the members of that Kiva.

[@krab1791]

Mesa Verde is an amazing place. Cliff Palace is absolutely something you should see. But be aware you have to be able to walk on rock staircases with uneven steps, up high if the ground. It’s very safe but if you are afraid of heights it can take ignoring where you are. We stayed in a cabin on the Mesa and in the morning we looked out the glass doors and saw deer just wandering among the cabins. If you go visit, make sure that you visit the Four Corners marker. It is the only place in the country where four states meet. Yes, it is just a marker in the ground but where else can you stand in 4 states at once.

[@johnchedsey1306]

Although I'd see photos of Mesa Verde as a kid, when I finally got to visit a few years ago, I can say my jaw dropped nearly the depth of the canyon. No photo you'll ever see will quite live up to the experience of seeing these amazing structures with sheer cliffs above and below them. Since then I've made an effort to visit more of the ruins around the southwest: Canyon De Chelly, Wupatki, Walnut Canyon and some others. Their accomplishments are some of the most awe inspiring in all of history. I cannot recommend seeing Mesa Verde in person enough. In fact, I think I'm due for another visit next summer...

[@Dzonnyg]

Your videos on ancient structures/cities are always my favourites, actually they were the reason why I subscribed to you at all and then started watching your other channels. The narration and the way you present it makes the whole story feel mysterious and monumental, like I was the explorer seeing the abandoned city for the first time in ages. Please! More!

[@KristinaSummersportfolio]

I enjoyed visiting Mesa Verde so much that I bought a book of art, reproductions of wall art found in the ruins and now have a tattoo to commemorate my visit. Being of native American ancestry myself (Blackfoot) it means a lot. The place is incredible. Great job...

[@agrarianyeti8134]

Great job covering this wonderful topic in a respectful and sensible manner guided by good science. I can tell you did your research. I've to this beautiful ruin, and to Chaco Canyon as well. Amazing places to visit, and I agree, you can definitely feel the spirits all around. Definitely suggest a visit, but go with reverence and respect please. Thanks again

[@TehMorbidAtheist]

I drove there in 2020. The place blew me away. Definitely worth a visit!

[@timothy2935]

What are the roads like ? Are they well maintained , any big poy holes ?

[@lucih5709]

@@timothy2935 it is a National Park. Well maintained roads and trails to some of the ruins. Not an easy hike UP from the ruins. Moderate, uphill. And beautiful. There are more cliff houses than just the one shown here. Bring binoculars. They are all around the canyons. Modern facilities available.

[@TehMorbidAtheist]

@@timothy2935 The roads were good enough and paved. There are a few potholes along the way. It takes about 1.5 hours to drive there from silver city.

[@alecamal]

@@TehMorbidAtheist Silver City is about 9 hours away in New Mexico, did you mean Silverton Colorado?

[@ChristinaMaterna]

It's so funny hearing Simon mention Frank Lloyd Wright just casually, esp after listening to the brain blaze where he had no idea 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@thunderK5]

Unlike most places reviewed on Geographics, I've actually been to Cliff Palace and its very much worth a visit.

[@ex-navyspook]

Didn't talk about the "stairs" - hand- and foot-holds cut into the sheer cliff going up the walls BESIDE these cliff houses to the table-lands above...I used to free-climb as a kid (I grew up in the mountains fairly near here), and I'm not afraid of heights, but I'd hesitate to climb those (not sure I wouldn't have tried as a kid, though). Another interesting thing is the acoustics in the canyon; you can talk in one section, and can be heard fairly clearly from over a hundred meters away.

[@LikeTheBuffalo]

Hey look! The Western Air Temple!

[@TK-rs9lq]

I've been there! Tremendous place. The steps and entryways FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps put in there were another fascinating relic-some very rough work in places.

[@64TMS]

Thankyou for presenting this piece of history from the viewpoint of the historic people and structures and not with the view of, the "white man" who came along later and claimed, "look what I found ", as if it hadn't existed prior to that moment. I am one of those "white men" who should've gone back to Europe and then asked for permission to come to North, Central, and South America's and visit. I am not a native of Colorado, but I've lived here for 50 years. I have had to learn how to respect the world around me. Thx so much

[@StefanMedici]

Searching for "missing cattle", said every cattle rustler everywhere. 😂

[@danielmcintyre]

I saw it in the winter time with snow… it was so beautiful

[@harleywright2835]

I was lucky enough to go there as a kid growing up in Colorado on a field trip it truly is something to behold like it's really amazing you can't comprehend how truly astonishing it is until you actually see it with your own eyes because it's small by no means it's actually huge and it's close to cave of the winds and the dinosaur national monument which are also awesome areas in Colorado and there's garden of the gods which has a bunch of really cool stuff in it too Colorado actually has a ton of awesome things to see oh and seven falls that was totally amazing in the winter

[@francheskarosado-sandoval3252]

Actually, you're thinking of the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, which are much much smaller. Cliff Palace is in Mesa Verde, near Durango CO.

[@volcomsnow1376]

I live about an hour away from the cliff dwellings. Chaco canyon is really cool too.

[@joeg5414]

Same here! I live near Durango lol

[@timcollum5015]

Manitou cliff dwellings near Colorado Springs. I saw them from the highway. Very similar, and they are explorable.

[@billkeilitz2373]

Visited in 1992, still my favorite National Park to this day.

[@bwalters7777777]

A friend and I came across this park as we drove by on a long road trip in 1991. Having been to many great places on this trip, like Yellowstone and Arches NP, Mesa Verde was a standout. I spent a lot of time transfixed - wondering what it must have been like to live there at the time they did. I would have loved to spend the night there - but that's not possible. On another big road trip 15 years later - this time all by myself, I made sure I returned there. I would like to see it again!

[@chrisyanover1777]

A good Geographics episode about Native Americans city is Acoma Pueblo (Sky City), New Mexico. It is believed to be the oldest (or at least 2nd oldest, but up for debate) active city in America. The Native Americans still live mostly like they did in 1200 and when the city was first built above a mesa and largely keep the same traditions they have for centuries! People still live in mud and stone Pueblo's. When you visit the town it's like being transformed to be Columbus times! Although they do have electricity and some modern conveniences, it's still very much like it was 800 years ago!

[@sizanogreen9900]

really interesting. I had no idea there were still places like this still in use.

[@mybuddyrobin]

America is a hemisphere luv. don't let European squatter offspring ignoramuses drive their rhetoric.

[@mybuddyrobin]

Chris here was highlighting how to say your a raging racist without saying you are a racist.

[@user-dg9pu4pe9d]

It is great to see the ancient history of the First Nations beside the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans. So often the rest of pre-European history is overlooked.

[@phuckpootube6231]

A few hundred years is not ancient history.

[@Jessepigman69]

This really isn’t ancient. There are cathedrals older than this place

[@Jessepigman69]

Still amazing but not ancient

[@kathidubach]

Well, in the sense that it‘s pre-historic, i.e. from an earlier period than any written record, it is actually ancient, even if it‘s contemporary with the middle ages in Europe.

[@Jessepigman69]

@@kathidubach that’s one way to look at it but that’s like saying studying isolated tribes in the Amazon is the study of ancient history. As they have no knowledge of writing or record keeping.

[@MeachPango]

we have something like this right next to Roosevelt lake in Arizona. I want to visit these now. o visited in the middle of summer and as soon as I stepped inside the cutout in the mountain it went from 115 degrees to 75 INSTANTLY. one of the coolest feelings I've ever felt.

[@Komainu959]

Sometimes I hope they actually close off access one day. The few that are disrespectful do too much damage to this and other sites. From the vandalism a few years ago at Mesa Verde to people tipping over rock formations at Goblin Valley State Park and so many other instances. It's truly sad.

[@noahlogue3807]

Ive been there it is amazing. I've also seen a similar structure in Canyon Dechelle in Arizona on the Navajo reservation on a school trip.

[@blaked7532]

Yes, 'balls out awesome' should be a formal scientific term.

[@wendychavez5348]

I 100% agree!

[@kevinquist]

thank you for this video. Native American culture has been so neglected and belittled. Still, so few know or care about Native American history. i.e. Americans (and Canadians). what tribes were from the area you live in now? they spent 1-2 days on it when you were in school.

[@OvErLoRdSF]

I live in Denver, Colorado and ive only been to this place once! its amazing and very breathtaking

[@seventhson27]

In 2003 there was a massive drought in Colorado that explains this. Places ran COMPLETELY out of water. What do you do then? The people left so much behind because they didn't intend to stay gone, but they did.

[@kraziecatclady]

I went there last year as part of my summer vacation. It was pretty amazing to see up close. Glad to see you have a video about it. There are a lot of cliff dwellings in Colorado. It's pretty amazing to see how people used to live and that these places are preserved.

[@pmgn8444]

Excellently done video! Cliff Palace is a wondrous and fascinating place.

[@trevortaylor9536]

I absolutely love when you do videos in Colorado ❤️🤠

[@Ksweetpea]

The four corners region, mesa verde, and the Pueblos, remind me of everything I love and miss about the southwest. The PNW is great, but I miss the desert

[@alphavegas1]

I'm moving the Albuquerque in about 70 days. Can't wait

[@BigDaddyBeans]

Seeing this place in person is a true spectacle. Highly recommended to anyone.

[@conner13.c16]

That last quote was beautiful! Thanks for the video!

[@lizdierdorf]

technically the word “pueblo” translates literary to“town” and “aldea” would be the word for “village”. as used in the New Spain (today Mexico and US south border states).

[@VincentGonzalezVeg]

It does look pretty cozy

[@michellemlmille8171]

They remind me of the way the cisterns were built at Masada. I love your videos!🙏🤗❤️

[@rbrachmann]

I was there in 1973. My whole family couldn't see it because you had to use ladders for access? I think there was a modern staircase to get down, but I do remember climbing a ladder up. You couldn't enter the buildings, but walk around everything else. Made a huge impression on me that I'll never forget.

[@JamesThomas-pj2lx]

Honestly it looks like a model in person. The settlement they actually let you walk in is far more easily appreciated. The cannibal/kiva angle is hella interesting.

[@johnstevenson9956]

"Wow! This is the coolest thing I've ever seen! Go get the dynamite!" People are insane.

[@wendychavez5348]

Right? Thankfully, enough of us oppose that behavior that it's not as common anymore.

[@cann5565]

This whole area is absolutely spectacular. I was lucky enough to visit about a decade ago.

[@canman87]

I remember visiting there a number of years ago and it was a really great experience. It's already mind-blowing anyway, but I can't imagine what it would have been like to actually stumble across it unexpectedly like the people you mentioned that were looking for lost cattle.

[@dragonslyer74]

This is an amazing place been there many times. I have been to the Colorado Springs cliff dwellings as well. It awesome history!! Thanks for the video I love your channels. The fact that you did a video on my state is the 👌.

[@bvnbvng]

Simon is best boy ever, y'all need to give him a bald head buffing and make it even shinier

[@lynnmitzy1643]

(change the y to i and add er) shinier

[@bvnbvng]

@@lynnmitzy1643 thank ya! Wasn't sure how to spell that one unfortunately

[@lynnmitzy1643]

@@bvnbvng 😘🤗

[@badhippo]

Pretty certain his wife buffs him plenty enough already.

[@pamelamays4186]

I visited this area with my family on a road trip from Denver to San Diego, California.

[@dda40x1]

When I was a kid back in the late 60's you could just walk through the dwelling's as you pleased, I don't know if you still can.

[@bobsears4762]

This place is really interesting to visit. It's well worth the journey.

[@claudiaigsa6900]

Beautiful! I didn't know about this place

[@sophroniel]

I visited this when I was 12 and it was unbelievably incredible. You can't go near it and there are plaques up apologising for how the ancient holy places were trespassed by the "discoverers" and explaining what the native peoples of the area want the narrative to be, as well ss infographics on the stuff that Simon also outlined. That said, they do still refer to the people of this land as "Indians" so maybe not quite there yet.....

[@miketalcott5180]

A couple of errata: 1) Kivas are not "open air." They are covered with beams and the plazas were continuous across the top, with only a 2'X2' access down into the pit via a ladder. 2) While the Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde held maybe 4000 people in total across all the dwellings. Contemporaneously the larger valley (Yellow Jacket Pueblo is only one of dozens of the large villages) was more like 20,000-40,000 people.

[@WayToVibe]

I appreciate the time and effort you put into pointing out that these native people still exist today and that white people didn't "discover" anything. The existence of these places were known by the descendants of those who lived there. And that counts.

[@bcast9978]

The Europeans discovered many things from their perspective. So did Asians and Africans. Hell, detectives discover things all the time that were already known to perps and victims.

[@Dank-gb6jn]

Anything new/previously unseen to a given individual is a discovery. I could travel to India and come across an ancient Hindu temple hidden in the jungle. To me, that is a discovery.

[@Dank-gb6jn]

Also, I resent the vague racism here. Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci weren’t white. They were Italian. So true, white people didn’t necessarily “discover” the continental US or it’s territorial waters; but that DOESN’T mean that white people “didn’t “discover” anything”. Captain James Cook discovered Hawaii for the British, and Leif Erikson discovered Newfoundland. Those two men are just two examples of white people discovering sections of the New World. Were those areas already inhabited? In the case of Hawaii, yes, Newfoundland, I can’t recall.

[@WayToVibe]

@@Dank-gb6jn I don't think you know the difference between race and nationality.

[@Dank-gb6jn]

@@WayToVibe James Cook was a white (race) British (nationality) man who discovered Hawaii. Leif Erikson was a white (race) Icelandic (nationality) man who discovered Newfoundland. Christopher Columbus was a Mediterranean (race), Genoese (now part of Italy so Italian is more or less his nationality). “Discovery” is something that EVERYONE is capable of. Just because there were already people here in the United States at the time the Spanish rolled up; DOESN’T mean that the Spanish already knew this landmass was here, it was NEW to THEM. Imagine if you found a planet with intelligent alien life. Just because the aliens were already there doesn’t mean YOU didn’t DISCOVER something new to YOU; would you sit there and huff and puff and say “well, since I’m not part of the indigenous race, my discovery doesn’t count”?

[@wendychavez5348]

Very close to home for me! Linda Lay Schuler wrote a beautiful trilogy that started at Mesa Verde, She Who Remembers, Voice of the Eagle, and Let The Drum Speak. I started with the third book, which is set near Cahokia, though I was thrilled with all the references to home.

[@andrewmcneil2110]

Still loving your stuff Simon. Keep on with the great work please.

[@Yupppi]

Haha I didn't know we in Finland refused to return the artifacts until 2019. Didn't even know the artifacts existed before this video. God damn, even we managed to be assholes for original America.

[@evearellie]

I visited when I was 5 years old, and it's stuck with me to this day. It's a magnificent place, and i have many memories from the tour and what I was taught there even though I was so young. I'd love to revisit again someday now that I'm older.

[@benjamincolombo7770]

I am taking a “Indians of North America” class in college (I’m a History major) and Simon is spot on, great video!

[@SHAd0Eheart]

I’m from Colorado, I’ve only ever heard of these Pueblo people being referred to as Anasazi. Is that no longer politically correct? I realize that it simply means “ancient one’s” and was used because nobody knew what they were called anymore. Personally I like Anasazi better. I hope that in a thousand year nobody digs up my bones and dubs me “Apartment person”.

[@trevorkuttler920]

"Anasazi" is a Diné (Navajo) word that more or less translates as ancient enemy or enemy ancestors. It is not a Puebloan word. Understandably, modern Puebloan people object to having their ancestors defined this way. I don't know what words modern Puebloan people use to identify their ancestors.

[@existentialcrisisactor]

It's so weird to see my stomping grounds on these videos. I used to pass Mesa Verde at least 4 times a week on my way between jobs.

[@twocvbloke]

People who can make a home in a place like that were certainly very smart people, though a shame they didn't stay there to keep it thriving, but that happens in many places, abandoned due to many reasons which become seemingly unknown...

[@yooper6161]

Took a trip there 3 years ago. It's an amazing place to see. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history of the americas. Also be on the lookout for wild horses. It took 3 days to see everything.

[@trustmemysonisadoctor8479]

In the late 1960's when I was 8-10 years old you could walk in the buildings and there was a secrete passage you could crawl through that had a hidden space. The guide said a person could sit in the hidden space to see who was passing through and if they were an intruder they would hit them on the head drag them out to be thrown over the edge!! Thirty years later took my son to see it, people were no longer allowed to walk in the buildings or the tunnel. It is an amazing place to visit. The exit up the tall ladders though....not for the faint of heart.

[@anthonypalmer802]

I live across the highway from this place

[@FlesHBoX]

I remember visiting there as a child. Was a pretty awesome experience!

[@CaptainMirro]

Same here had a blast

[@LobsterRavioli]

I see this just about every day. So many interesting sites and things to do in that area.

[@Drougar108]

Oh yeah I visited this place when I went to America, sadly it was closed for repairs. So it’s cool to learn more stuff about it.

[@John_Weiss]

Something to bear in mind: You're not going to build your house, let alone a city, on your limited farmland. You need to reserve every square foot of that limited fertile area for farming. So, you build your houses in the side of the cliff. Or if you're Austrian, on the side of the mountain. My husband's half-Austrian, from an isolated U-shaped glacial valley. All of the useful farmland is at the valley floor. And if you look where all of the old houses are, they're build right onto the slopes of the mountains just above the valley floor. First time I saw a house and a barn like that, I thought, “Wow. Not located there for the view, but to conserve farmland.” Hence why I now think that the location chosen by the cliff-dwelling Ancestral Puebloans was in part to keep the tops of the mesas clear for farming. Also doesn't hurt that it's in the shade, as another comment below points out.

[@Rockin357]

As a native New Mexican, well done. I have been there and T.J. is correct. You can hear them...

[@Fuchswinter]

The subtle shade of saying "people who use sane measurements". Lmao

[@kennyhagan5781]

Thanks for the video. The ancient wonders of North America are generally forgotten even by the people who live here.

[@MacKennaTheGoddessofRadiation]

When i went there last time they had to restrict access to the ruins cause theyd been damaged during memorial day

[@MasterMalrubius]

Visited this back in the mid-70's. Very interesting.

[@davidcox2264]

We went there on vacation when I was a kid. It is amazing.

[@tankedwarthog6424]

Imagine if this settlement was never abandoned, how much bigger it could be today or how much more advanced the people would be.

[@Dank-gb6jn]

Thousands of years from now, perhaps when future generations decide to examine the past; they’ll do enough extensive and intensive excavations to determine what exactly causes a given incident.

[@Mrgunsngear]

Thanks

[@Kravachi]

I live in Northern Colorado so this is just a slog to get to. But I Love the entire Mesa Verde area. It's so pretty. Cliff Palace is one of my favorite areas to go. When I was a child, regulation weren't as tight and you could climb around on certain areas.

[@jimmyzbike]

i always learn something from you and your content

[@dailypanther6212]

Just took a state test on this today lol, too suspicious simon

[@markberryhill2715]

Yes, it's weird when something you were thinking about or talking about shows up on your algorithm. Creepy! Hahaha!

[@wendychavez5348]

Hi, Reptilian Overlords! I mean, CIA.

[@lilmike2710]

We have to appreciate the descendants of ancient puebloans who would rather the areas not be disturbed.

[@erichaskell]

Of interest, most of the ruins in this area, the Indians left in such a hurry or in such misery they left pottery, baskets, tools and clothing. No one theory of why they built these cliff dwellings or why they were abandoned has been settled upon. In southwestern Utah, Indians were so adapted to growing corn that no animal bones are to be found in their trash piles.

[@canman87]

I've always been of the mind that the overhanging cliff would have provided a good amount of shelter from the elements and that it would have also been very useful as a defensive measure so that anyone seeking to harm the settlement would have limited means of actually approaching it. I guess I don't know what other propositions have been made about what may have motivated their decision to build in this specific location, but those reasons I mentioned seem pretty logical to me.

[@erichaskell]

@@canman87 Alongside your logical thoughts are theories that the move into the cliffs may have been religious and as you noted, possibly defensive. As the dwellings on the mesas were built partially into the ground, I don’t think winter warmth was a concern and living next to their cropland on the mesa must have been a lot easier than climbing up and down the cliffs. Significant for whatever it means there are cliff dwellings in other surrounding states.