Mesa Verde National Park, World Heritage Site in USA

In the southwestern part of Colorado, on a plateau at an altitude of over 2,600 meters, rock cave dwellings built like a bird’s nest under a cliff still remain. These dwellings were built between the 6th and 12th centuries by the Anasazi, who are believed to be the ancestors of the Pueblo people. There is a group of dwellings that had more than 100 rooms, where more than 200 people are said to have lived.

Here, a World Heritage enthusiast explains why Mesa Verde National Park is a World Heritage Site in an easy-to-understand manner. Read this and you will definitely learn more about Mesa Verde National Park!

What is Mesa Verde National Park?

Mesa Verde means “green land” in Spanish, and is a lush plateau located at an altitude of over 2,600 meters. It is the home of the Pueblo tribe of Native Americans, whose ancestors, the Anasazi, built the rock dwellings that were carved out of the cliffs. The cave dwellings were built between the 6th and 12th centuries, and are so well preserved that one can still imagine the lives of the people who lived here in those days.

There are a total of about 600 dwellings built of sun-dried bricks on the cliffs, each cluster consisting of storage rooms and large rooms, just like apartments. There are several such clusters of housing sites on the site, named after their exteriors, such as Cliff Palace, Balcony House, and Square Tower House.

Other sites range from agricultural facilities such as reservoirs to work sheds where crafts and other items were made, and religious facilities and rock paintings are also present. The Pueblo people still live in housing complexes today, and their relevance is also appreciated.

Cliff Palace

The largest dwelling ruins in the ruins; four stories high, like a high-rise apartment building; 220 dwellings and a circular place of worship called a kiva, which is lined up in a row, giving it the appearance of a fortress.

For what reason is Mesa Verde National Park on the World Heritage List?

Mesa Verde National Park was recognized for

Registration Criteria (iii)
The point is that the ruins that remain at Mesa Verde show that the Pueblo people of the American Southwest still live in housing complexes, thus connecting their past and present lifestyles.

Conclusions and Thoughts of a World Heritage Maniac

Although the site is quite romantic, with a number of dwellings remaining under the cliff, what is really appreciated is that it is a link between the past and the present of the Pueblo people who live there. The roots of the Pueblo people, who still live in housing complexes made of stacked sun-dried bricks, can be found here….

Incidentally, in the neighboring state of New Mexico, there remains an apartment complex where the Pueblo people live today, which is also a World Heritage Site. The Pueblo people have a custom of adding rooms as their family grows, so the houses are expanding rapidly.

*The content here is a discussion derived from research conducted by World Heritage enthusiasts. As for the data, interpretation differs depending on the media.