Site · United States
Mesa Verde
Ancestral Puebloan, 550–1300 CE
Mesa Verde preserves some six hundred cliff dwellings and thousands of mesa-top sites of the Ancestral Puebloans, built between about 550 and 1300 in southwestern Colorado. Cliff Palace, with about 150 rooms, is the largest cliff dwelling in North America. The area was abandoned by 1300.
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State / province | Colorado |
| Dates | 550–1300 CE |
| Status | National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site |
| Managed by | National Park Service |
| Access | Open to the public with ranger-guided cliff dwelling tours |
| Coordinates | 37.167, -108.473 (public site) |
What was found
Excavations at Cliff Palace, Spruce Tree House and the mesa-top sites recovered Mesa Verde black-on-white mugs and bowls, corrugated jars, turkey-feather blankets, sandals, baskets, bone tools, arrowpoints and preserved maize. Kivas and tower complexes were documented.
Rules
Nothing may be collected, dug, moved or removed at Mesa Verde; it is a protected archaeological site managed by National Park Service, and taking artifacts, stones or samples is an offence. Federal, state and tribal law, including ARPA and NAGPRA where applicable, protect the site and its burials. Mesa Verde is a World Heritage property. This article is for study and context only and is not a collecting locality.
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Mesa Verde" (Site). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/sites/mesa-verde. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-mesa-verde,
title = {Mesa Verde},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/sites/mesa-verde}},
year = {2026},
note = {Site article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.