The term “living room,” as we use it today, is really not a good term
for the rooms in the cliff dwellings. Actually these were, for the most
part, sleeping and storage rooms. Probably few of the activities of
daily life took place in them. The real “living space” was the great
open areas in the villages, the kiva courts and the terraced housetops.
The cave itself served as a roof over the entire village and the people
probably spent most of their active life outside the rooms.
Most of the rooms were small and dark. In the pictures below the small
size of the doors is clearly evident and the few windows were little
more than peepholes. Very few of the rooms had fires inside so the light
was poor. Weaving, sewing, pottery making, and such activities could not
have been carried on inside the rooms.
For the most part the rooms should be considered as sleeping and storage
rooms. If an adult could stretch out at full length on the floor the
room was large enough for sleeping purposes. If it were too small for
normal sleeping it served as storage space for food supplies and family
possessions.
In the winter there may have been more crowding into the rooms. However,
it must be remembered that fires were seldom built in the houses so
there was little warmth unless a person actually bundled up in skins and
blankets and went to bed. The fires were built in the courts and on the
open roofs and in cold weather the people probably huddled about them.
[Illustration: This upper section of Double House is typical of the
small, high caves that are so common in the Mesa Verde. The rooms
were very small and the roof so low that a person could not stand
upright. Only a narrow ledge was left between the houses and the
sheer cliff. The kivas were at the foot of the cliff and most of the
activities may have been carried on there.]
[Illustration: These structures at the south end of Cliff Palace
were from one to four stories in height. The rooms were built one on
top of another so more families could enjoy the security of the
cave. In front of the houses was a row of kivas. The kiva roofs and
the house roofs provided space for the activities of daily life.]
[Illustration: In constructing their houses the Indians did not try
to change the cave to fit their needs. Notice how the house walls
were made to fit the irregularities of the cave. Working with tools
of stone they seldom tried to cut into the cave walls.]
[Illustration: The north end of Balcony House is an outstanding
example of ancient architecture. The rooms are much larger than
usual and the masonry is of the highest quality. The balcony is the
finest in the Mesa Verde. In front of the houses was a large court
that was shared by the various families. The low parapet wall at the
right protected the people, especially the children, from the high
cliff in front of the cave.]