cliffdwelling

A cliff dwelling is a residence built into or under a cliff alcove, typically using local stone, mortar, and wooden beams. These structures are found in the American Southwest and other regions where rock faces offered natural shelter and defense. Cliff dwellings vary in size from small room clusters to large, multi-story complexes.

Construction commonly employed masonry walls faced with plaster, with internal rooms arranged around open courtyards or narrow passages. Vigas, or wooden roof beams, supported upper floors and ceilings. Dwellings often included ladders or removable stairs for access, small kivas for ceremonial purposes, storage alcoves, and multiple rooms connected by plastered corridors.

Most cliff dwellings were built by the Ancestral Puebloans during the late 12th to early 13th centuries and were inhabited for several generations before abandonment in the 13th or early 14th century. Possible reasons include drought, resource depletion, social change, and migrations that reshaped settlements across the Southwest. The sites offer insights into prehistoric architecture, community planning, and daily life.

Notable cliff-dwelling sites include Cliff Palace, Balcony House, and Spruce Tree House at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, which houses some of the most extensive cliff architecture. Other important locations are Canyon de Chelly in Arizona and Keet Seel in Navajo National Monument. Preservation efforts aim to protect the fragile stonework and provide controlled public access to study and interpretation.

Today, cliff dwellings are recognized as important archaeological and cultural resources. They are protected within national parks and monuments, with access often restricted or guided to minimize damage while allowing public education and research.