Mesa Verde is a magical place, frozen in time and showcasing how the Ancestral Puebloan people lived. Within these Colorado mesas are community dwellings where native peoples lived hundreds and hundreds of years ago. According to the National Park Service website, “the park protects nearly 5,000 known archaeological sites including 600 cliff dwellings.” Ancestral Puebloan people inhabited these communities, and their rich cultural heritage can be seen by simply walking around this national park. One of the most well known cliff dwellings is the Cliff Palace, which is made up of 120 rooms and over 20 rooms that were used for rituals known as kivas!
In honor of Indigenous People’s Day, we would like to encourage you to explore the virtual experience below, presented by the National Park Service. Along with a brief video, they’ve included learning activities suitable for elementary students. This is a great way to go beyond classroom textbooks! Learn about the history of the area and its people, as well as the geology and architecture that make this place so special.
A Magical Village: A Virtual Cliff Palace Experience
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