Cliff dwellings are the structures Mesa Verde is famous for. Surprisingly, most of the structures found at Mesa Verde aren't cliff dwellings. Cliff dwellings are the best preserved and most spectacular. These cliff dwellings are generally difficult to reach and require some climbing.
The first cliff dwelling is Balcony House.
These are some of the balconies at Balcony House pueblo.
The left and center photos show the retaining wall that holds the floor of the Balcony House cliff dwelling in place. The right photo shows the wall contacting the roof of the overhang. The left side of the wall settled about 3/4 inch in 700 years. This shows the quality of craftsmanship the builders possessed.
This is the solstice pole at Balcony House. During the Solstice, the shadow of this pole aligns with a hole in the wall of one of the buildings. There are a few other such poles at different cliff dwellings. At some of the other dwellings, the poles have no astronomical significance. Although this concerned the guide for the tour, it doesn't seem to be a matter of concern to me. These poles might be aligned for dates significant for the dwellers of the pueblo, not for archaeologists and astronomers. Several dates celebrated in our society have no astronomical significance.
This is a tunnel carved in the rock at Balcony House, the only one found at any of the cliff dwellings. The tunnel connects two sections of the cliff dwelling. Passing through the tunnel requires crawling or duck-walking. At the time I was there, the stated purpose of the tunnel was for defense but I question this interpretation; this tunnel could have significant ceremonial purposes.
I noticed archaeologists are very willing to attribute things they don't understand as either religious or defense related. I don't think I'm being overly critical of them; I noticed they seem rather dogmatic with some of these theories and don't label them as theories but express them as fact. I think, when dealing with foreign cultures, there is a lot of information with interpretations we cannot grasp. Even with supposedly related cultures to study, extrapolation can lead to wrong conclusions.
