Mesa Verde - Cliff Palace

This view shows a ranger-led discussion around a kiva at Cliff Palace Ruin. Before the ruins were stabilized and partially restored, archeological investigation of the Mesa Verde sites revealed much information about the culture and history of the Ancestral Puebloans. The ruins yielded a wealth of pottery, baskets, and other artifacts used for daily living, and demonstrated that trade was common across the region during the Classic Period (1150 to 1300 A.D.). Food was grown on the mesa rim and in the canyon, and was traded throughout the region. The Ancestral Puebloans' diet consisted of mostly of corn, beans, and squash. They had dogs, raised turkeys, and supplemented their diet with some hunting and gathering (NPS, 2009).