Cliff Palace is the largest known cliff dwelling. Dr. Fewkes, who
excavated the ruin in 1909, placed the number of living rooms at slightly
more than 200. Very few of the walls reached the top of the cave because
of its great height, but many of the structures were as high as two and
three stories. Near the south end of the ruin is the tallest structure, a
four-story tower that reaches the cave roof. Ground space appropriate for
building purposes was at a premium in the cave. To provide for an
increasing population, second, third, and even fourth-story rooms were
superimposed on the original single-story structures which predominated
in the initial cliff-dweller occupation of this site.
When the cliff dwellers started building in the cave they were confronted
with the problem of an uneven floor. The floor of the cave slanted from
the back to the front and was covered with huge, angular boulders that
had fallen from the cave roof. This problem the cliff dweller solved by
erecting terraces and filling in the irregular places. The open spaces
between the boulders were excellent for kivas, as there was not a great
deal of excavation necessary. After the kiva walls were built the extra
space was filled in with trash and dirt. When the flat kiva roof was
added a level court resulted. Around this court the homes were
constructed, often on the rough surfaces of the big boulders. Because of
the uneven floor and the terracing that was necessary, six distinct
terrace levels resulted.