Cliff Palace 2, a photo from Colorado, West

Photographer's Note

Several people have requested more details about this image and I determined that my previous comments were poor indeed.

This photo was taken from the observation platform looking down on a collection of Native American ruins called the Cliff Palace. These ruins are located in the Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado.

If my memory serves, these ruins were built and inhabited about 1200 A.D. and this particular site would support from 200 to 250 persons.

The three circular openings in the ground are called Kiva's and are believed to be ceremonial structures which at one point were covered and had an entrance in the roof. The Cliff Palace has 23 of these Kiva structures as well as 217 rooms.

As can be seen in this image, some structures are multiple stories tall.

The construction of these sites is amazing, but their setting is what makes them so beautiful.

erthmuffin, Emazevedo, petertee has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Vagabond (5848) 2004-08-13 11:03

Interesting picture. It would deserve a better and longer description about what we are seeing. Primitive american indian people houses?

Lawman (372) 2004-08-13 11:49

Great shot with a great angle. Is it an Anastasi Indian settlement? The only things I would do is to boost the saturation very slightly and to add a little more USM.

Super overall shot though.

Rich

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ma-tibou (4566) 2004-08-17 6:49