Cliff Palace

The structure built by the Ancestral Puebloans is located in Mesa Verde National Park in their former homeland region.

The Ancestral Puebloans who constructed this cliff dwelling and the others like it at Mesa Verde were driven to these defensible positions by "increasing competition amidst changing climatic conditions".

One kiva, in the center of the ruin, is at a point where the entire structure is partitioned by a series of walls with no doorways or other access portals.

[1] This ratio of kivas to rooms may suggest that Cliff Palace might have been the center of a large polity that included surrounding small communities.

The National Park Service carefully restored it to its approximate height and stature, making it one of the most memorable buildings in Cliff Palace.