Mesa Verde, Spanish for ‘Green Table’, was a flourishing community from AD 600 through AD 1300.
These cliff dwellings actually represent the last 75 to 100 years of occupation.
This image was taken with my telephoto lens from the cliff one valley over, looking back into Balcony House. A visit here challenges your fear of heights and small places. First you descend
a 100 ft long staircase into the canyon to get below the dwelling. To get into Balcony House you must climb a 32-foot tall ladder (you can see it in the
lower right of the picture), crawl through a 12 foot long tunnel and then climb an additional 60 feet on ladders and stone steps.
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