It is difficult to discuss the cliff dwellings without dividing them
into groups according to size. The hundreds of ruins vary from one room
to over 200 rooms. Only by dividing them into groups is it possible to
show the relative abundance of ruins of various sizes. The table given
below is of no real importance. It is merely one person’s way of
dividing the ruins by size for discussion purposes. One could just as
well divide them into three groups or ten groups. And the number of
rooms selected for each group is only of relative importance. The
numbers merely provide a yardstick for discussion purposes. For
convenience only, the hundreds of cliff dwellings will be divided into
the following five size groups:
Very large more than 100 rooms.
Large 51 to 100 rooms.
Medium 21 to 50 rooms.
Small 6 to 20 rooms.
Very small 1 to 5 rooms.
Before considering the relative abundance of the ruins in the various
groups it would be well to consider the total number of cliff dwellings
in the Mesa Verde. The answer is, of course, that no one knows and
probably no one will ever know. There are too many canyons and too many
ruins!
In 1891, Richard Wetherill told Nordenskiold, the Swedish archeologist,
that there were more than 500 cliff dwellings in the Mancos Canyon and
its side canyons. Many more were discovered later. Certainly no one knew
the ruins of the area better than the Wetherills. As Charles Mason
stated, their search for ruins was a “business proposition.” If Richard
Wetherill felt there were more than 500, it probably is a safe figure to
use. How many “more,” is of little importance.