Cliff Palace had four levels of rooms, with the upper level being used for storage.
The Anasazi Indians are known for building what archeologist call “great houses.” Some of the architectural characteristics of the great houses include planned layouts, distinctive masonry, multi-story construction, and kivas (circular subterranean chambers).
In December 1888, Cliff Palace was discovered by two cowboys, Richard Wetherill and Charlie Mason. It is the largest cliff dwelling in the Mesa Verde National Park, and is in fact the largest cliff dwelling in North America. It is built into the sandstone alcove, with access to the dwelling via walkways from the canyon at both ends of the large cave.
Detailed map of Cliff Palace, the largest Cliff Dwelling of the Mesa Verde National Park. This dwelling had 220 rooms and 23 Kivas and probably housed approximately 250 people.
Square Tower House, Mesa Verde National Park
Square Tower House was named by the Wetherill brothers, and describes the tall, 4 storey structure that dominates the site. This structure is built in a shallow alcove in the west wall of Chapin Mesa, in Navajo Canyon. Access to the village was via two trails, one of them a toe hold trail that led down the sandstone cliff from the mesa top. Square Tower House was quite a large settlement, containing approximately 70 domestic rooms and 7 kivas.
Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, Pueblo Bonita
Pueblo Bonito is located in the Four Corners region in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. It was constructed over a thousand year span by the Anasazi Indians. The formation of Pueblo Bonito is in the shape of a “D.”
Besides building grand cities, the Anasazi were also able to construct an irrigation system and a complex road network. Since they were farmers living in such a harsh and dry climate, they had to develop a way to irrigate their crops. The way they contrived was by digging dams in the sides of the canyon walls to trap flowing water. The water then passed through a grid network that distributed it to the various fields and gardens. The result of this technology led to a doubling of the population.
Pueblo Bonito also has many large rooms with no windows that have shelves that extend five feet out from the walls. These rooms are storage rooms or sleeping quarters.
The oldest part of Pueblo Bonito dates back to about 850 AD. This earliest section consisted of 100 rooms ranging from one story rooms up to three story rooms. There were also 5 kivas surrounded by the multi-story rooms in a crescent shape.
The location of Pueblo Bonito was unusual because they built it under a separated piece of a cliff wall. This piece was called “Threatening Rock,” standing 97 feet high and weighing about 30,000 tons. The Anasazi people recognized the threat and built a supporting terrace which slowed the erosion of the soil. The terrace worked well, because Threatening Rock did not fall until 1941.
The culture and traditions known as Anasazi where formed about 700 AD after centuries of trading with the Hohokam people. Their typical houses were built out of stone terraces or adobe blocks; they where built around a central plaza with planned walls facing the outside for protection.
The Anasazi people grew domesticated plants including maize, beans and squash. They were a sedentary people, living in one area and eating domesticated foods. Many Anasazi people would live in small farm houses in the summer. During the Basket Maker Period, the Anasazi people built granaries which became areas where towns where formed.
During the drought of 1275 many Pueblo Bonita farms and towns were abandoned, except for those around the Rio Grande River. The ones around the Rio Grande managed to survive through extensive irrigation systems. The Spanish visited the Pueblos in 1540; the Pueblos are ancestors of the Anasazi people. From that point until present day, the Pueblo people have been ruled by the Spanish, Mexicans, and Americans. Today 22 Pueblo communities are still intact and running.
The ruins of Chaco Canyon where first discovered in 1849 by Lt. James Simpson during a military expedition. Simpson's guide named Carravahal from San Juan Pueblo provided the name Pueblo Bonito, a Spanish word that means “beautiful town.” At the conclusion of his expedition, Simpson published the first description of Chaco Canyon.
Richard Wetherill, a rancher and archeologist, and George Pepper from the Museum of National History, were the first to excavate at Pueblo Bonito. They started their excavations in 1896 and ended in 1899. When they finished, Wetherill remained at Chaco Canyon running a trading post until he died in 1910. In the short period Wetherill and Pepper excavated, they uncovered 190 rooms, photographing and mapping all of the major structures in Chaco Canyon. Wetherill and Pepper contributed immensely to the early excavation of Chaco Canyon.
Acoma was nearly destroyed when Gov. Juan de Ońate and 70 of his men retaliated for the killing of 13 Spanish soldiers by the Acomas when they tried to take grain from the pueblo storehouses in 1598. As a restitution of peace, the San Estéban del Rey Mission was built in 1629 and completed in 1640 under the guidance of Friar Juan Ramírez. Both the mission and the pueblo have been designated as Registered National Historical Landmarks.
Today, fewer than 50 Acomans live in Sky City year-round and the remaining residents live in nearby villages. Only on feast days do all the Acomans gather on the mesatop. Census 2000 figures indicate a total of 2,802 Acoma villagers.
source: http://www.nmmagazine.com/NMGUIDE/acoma.html