It is impossible to look at the cliff dwellings without wondering why
the Pueblo Indians chose to build their homes in the cliffs. A few of
the ruins are in large, open, airy, easily accessible caves, that to the
casual observer might seem like rather decent places in which to live.
But most of the caves are not of this type. The majority are high on the
cliff faces—many are merely narrow high ledges on which a few rooms
could be perched.
For many centuries the Pueblo Indians of the Mesa Verde area lived on
the open mesa tops and in the broad fertile valleys. They were a settled
agricultural group, highly skilled in all their arts and crafts. Then,
rather suddenly, they left their pleasant pueblos and moved into the
caves. Within a short time there were few Indians left out in the open.
What caused this sudden change in their way of life? In order to answer
this question it is necessary to consider the entire background of the
Pueblo Indians of this area.
The earliest evidences of these people indicate that they were well
established in the Mesa Verde region shortly after the birth of Christ.
Originally a hunting people, they had received corn and squash from more
southern neighbors and were turning to a settled agricultural life.
At first they seem to have had no houses so, at least for part of the
year, they occupied the caves. After a time they began to experiment
with simple pithouses. When substantial houses had developed they left
the caves and built their villages in the open. For many centuries they
lived in the open valleys and on the broad mesa tops. The population
grew and the tribe spread over a wide area. The architecture developed
steadily and by the twelfth century the people were living in hundreds
of pueblos, constructed of stone and adobe masonry.
Late in the twelfth century the people began to move and the population
began to diminish. Some of the people left the area, drifting off to the
south. The rest began to search for defensive locations for their
villages. In the Mesa Verde the villages were moved to the caves of
which there were many hundreds in the numerous canyons. By the early
part of the thirteenth century most of the Indians had moved to the
caves and during the last few generations the people were in the Mesa
Verde it appears that few lived in the open.
There can be little doubt that the movement to the caves was caused by
the arrival of an enemy group. In many parts of the Southwest, the same
thing happened. Evidently some nomadic group, perhaps the earliest of
the Apaches, came into the area and began to harass the Pueblo Indians.
In the interest of health the peaceful farmers began to build their
homes where they could defend them against marauders.
After living in the open for many centuries the Pueblo Indians of the
Mesa Verde moved to the caves and constructed the cliff dwellings. There
can be little doubt that this move was prompted by a desire for
defensive locations.
[Illustration: Double House, part of which is shown here, is an
excellent indication of the Pueblo Indians’ desire to utilize the
caves. The ruin is in seven sections, not all of which are shown,
and indicates a desire to build in easily defensible places, no
matter how small or difficult of access they were. All together,
Double House has about seventy rooms, with several kivas along the
base of the cliff.]