Here, you see one of their most spectacular architectural achievements, built six centuries later.
This cliff dwelling includes the tallest standing architecture in Mesa Verde, a four-story, 27-foot (8 m) tall structure that was part of an even larger building complex. Although the site has been stabilized by archeologists, 90% is original. Painted murals and pecked rock art are found throughout Square Tower House. From the overlook, look for original roof beams and intact plastered walls.
What do such elaborate decorations tell us about Ancestral Pueblo society? Perhaps it suggests that the builders were not only concerned with meeting their basic needs, but also recognized the importance of art and beauty as essential components of a thriving community.
This cliff dwelling includes the tallest standing architecture in Mesa Verde, a four-story, 27-foot (8 m) tall structure that was part of an even larger building complex. Although the site has been stabilized by archeologists, 90% is original. Painted murals and pecked rock art are found throughout Square Tower House. From the overlook, look for original roof beams and intact plastered walls.
What do such elaborate decorations tell us about Ancestral Pueblo society? Perhaps it suggests that the builders were not only concerned with meeting their basic needs, but also recognized the importance of art and beauty as essential components of a thriving community.
Is there something we missed for this itinerary?
Itineraries across USA
Acadia
Arches National Park
Badlands
Big Bend
Biscayne
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison
Bryce Canyon
Canyonlands
Capitol Reef
Carlsbad Caverns
Channel Islands
Congaree
Crater Lake
Cuyahoga Valley
Death Valley
Dry Tortugas
Everglades
Gateway Arch
Glacier
Grand Canyon
Grand Teton
Great Basin
Great Smoky Mountains
Guadalupe Mountains
Haleakalā
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes
Hot Springs
Indiana Dunes
Isle Royale
Joshua Tree
Kenai Fjords
Kobuk Valley
Lassen Volcanic
Mammoth Cave
Mesa Verde
Mount Rainier
North Cascades
Olympic
Petrified Forest
Pinnacles
Rocky Mountain
Saguaro
Shenandoah
Theodore Roosevelt
Virgin Islands
Voyageurs
White Sands
Wind Cave
Yellowstone
Yosemite
Zion