From a modern viewpoint a cave might not appear to be a safe place for a
home. All thought of modern warfare must be forgotten, however, and
ancient methods must be kept in mind. When it is considered that the
cliff dwellers lived in bow and arrow times it is not difficult to see
the cliff dwellings as defensive structures. Because of the location and
the type of construction, they served as excellent forts against bow and
arrow attack.
Some of the villages were at the base of the cliff and were easily
accessible. But the inhabitants of such towns had to defend only the
front of the cave and their thick walls would have suffered no damage
from arrows. The men of a large village, such as Spruce Tree House or
Cliff Palace, could have repulsed a small raiding party without too much
difficulty. The small high villages were comparatively safe because of
the difficulty of access. Some caves were reached by ladders; others by
toe-holds cut in the cliff. In many of the small high cliff dwellings no
evidence of a trail can be found. They were too high for ladders, the
cliffs were too steep for toe-holds, and no ledges led to them. One can
only suppose they were entered by means of ropes.
Although the cliff dwellings were excellent defensive structures they
were weak in one respect—the water supply was outside the caves. Of the
hundreds of cliff dwellings probably not more than a score had springs
within the cave. In almost every case the women carried water from
nearby, or distant springs. In all probability the people did not have
to worry about actual sieges. The enemy people were hunters who traveled
in small bands. Word of a raiding party would have spread quickly for
there were few isolated villages where the people could not call to the
next village and so on along the canyon. It was possible to call across
even the largest canyons and warnings would have traveled well in
advance of the raiders.
In their large jars the villagers could have stored considerable water
and with their supplies of food could have withstood short sieges.
Actually the raiders would have starved out first for being hunters they
could not have stayed long in one place. And to lay siege to one village
might have invited concerted action by the residents of several nearby
towns.
[Illustration: Casa Colorado.
This village of about twenty rooms received its name because of the
reddish tint of its walls. Although the cave is not high, it could be
entered only at the right side. Defensive walls were constructed to
guard the entrance.]
[Illustration: Ruin No. 12.
Although this cliff dwelling has only twenty rooms, it contains five
kivas. High on the cliff face, the village was entered by means of a
narrow ledge at the right.]