Mesa Verde is one of the best preserved ancient human dwellings in the .  Spanish for “Green Table”, Mesa Verde is believed to have been established around 550A.D. and inhabited for about 750 years until about 1290.  Often referred to as the “Anaszi”, a Navajo word for “ancient ones” the people who built these magnificent structures were farmers who supplemented their diet with some hunting.  It is generally thought that the people left the area over several generations due to a drought that lasted 23 years.  As water is so important in this arid area of the Southwest, the people had to move on to areas where water was more accessible for them and their crops.  First mentioned in a geological report by Professor J. S. Newberry in 1859, the term “Mesa Verde” is used in a way that suggests that the term was commonly used in the area for the site.  During another geological survey in 1874, some of the cliff dwellings were entered by white men for the first time.  W. H. Jackson had heard of the site from local miners and prospectors.  He named the site that he entered “Two-Story Cliff House” which it is still called to this day.  The area was officially made a National Park by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 under the Antiquities Act of June 8, 1906. 

            Almost all of the sites have, or had, seep springs within the site.  These are springs created from the water seeping through the sandstone layers.  Unable to penetrate the shale layers, the water comes out at this point and was collected by the inhabitants.  Most of these springs have dried up due to the vegetation on the tops of the mesas which was used as fuel by the inhabitants.  The water takes about 10 years to penetrate through the sandstone into the seep springs.  Farming was done on the tops of the mesas, but all the crops were irrigated so they didn’t affect the amount of water that was created in the springs.  During the drought, when the springs dried up, it was thought that women would collect water from the San Juan River, four miles away.  It is believed that they carried water from the river to the sites at least twice a day in order to provide enough water for all the inhabitants. 

            The rocks that form the overhanging cliffs were first deposited during the Cretaceous Period about 78 million years ago.  It is made up of sandstone which is very porous.  Beneath the sandstone, was a layer of shale.  Over the years, water seeped through the sandstone to the shale.  The water would freeze during cold winter months causing the water to freeze and expand.  This freezing and expanding caused the shale to crack and fall forming the alcoves that we see today in the Mesa Verde area.  The first people into the area built their houses on top of the cliffs, but later moved under the cliffs and then used the land above for farming.  There are over 4,000 known archeological sites within Mesa Verde, 600 of which are known to be cliff dwellings.  The majority of these sites have yet to be excavated and many questions are still left to be answered. 

            Many of the conclusions that have been made about the people how built and inhabited Mesa Verde is incurred from comparisons between modern pueblo tribes and their ancestors.   24 Native American tribes can trace lineage to the ancient inhabitants of Mesa Verde.  Wooden beams, sandstone, and mortar were used to construct all the buildings in Mesa Verde area.  The sandstone blocks were shaped by rubbing harder rocks found in nearby rivers, against them to shape them.  Mortar was mixed using soil, water and ash and then placed between the sandstone blocks to hold them in place and give the buildings strength.  Chinking stones were also used to fill in the larger gaps between the blocks and then filled in with mortar.  The walls were then probably covered with a thin coat of plaster, used as paint.  Plaster has been found on some of the more protected wall surfaces which suggest that all walls were covered with it at one time but it has worn off over the course of time. 

            The largest of all the sites is the Cliff Palace site.  It was discovered in 1888 by two cowboys looking for stray cattle during a snow storm.  The two made their way down to the dwelling and spent the day exploring and collecting artifacts.  Over the next 18 years, many groups of people came to Mesa Verde collecting artifacts and camping within the ruins themselves.  Some stayed for weeks, exploring, gathering souvenirs, or searching for stray cattle.  No laws protected the site at the time and much looting and vandalism occurred.  It wasn’t until 1906 that the site became protected and it was three more years before major excavation and preservation began.  Most of the alcoves within the Mesa Verde area are small and could only accommodate one or two small rooms.  Due to the size of the Cliff Palace site it has been suggested that the site was not only a social and administrative purposes, but also an important ceremonial center for the area. 

            From bone fragments found in the area, it is believed that the people were between five foot and five foot six inches tall.  The average life span was about 25 years for women and 35 years for men.  Even with the short life spans, these people had time to build the structures they lived in including decorating them.  Life was not a constant battle for survival, but a relatively good way of life.