Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park, located in southwestern Colorado about 28 miles west of Durango and encompassing an area of 52,122 acres, is a major site of prehistoric cliff dwellings and open pueblos of the Anasazi Indians. Its name is derived from the park's typical land formations of steep rock walls and flat tops (mesas). Established in 1906, the park is open to visitors all year. After 1300 AD., the inhabitants of Mesa Verde abandoned their villages and moved away. For centuries the cliff dwellings were until cowboys discovered and excavated them at the end of the 19th century.