A Pictorial Guide to Mesa Verde National Park

by Ansel F. Hall

CLIFF PALACE

TELEPHOTO VIEW OF CLIFF PALACE RUIN, AS SEEN FROM A POINT NEAR SUN TEMPLE, ACROSS CLIFF CANYON.

This majestic ruin, the greatest of all cliff dwellings, is not only an architectural masterpiece, but also a remarkable historical record. Preserved within its walls is a fascinating story of a primitive people who learned to work, and build, and live together in harmony and mutual interdependence while our own European ancestors were struggling under the harsh yoke of feudalism. It is this inspiring story that should be carried away as your principal memory of Mesa Verde, rather than an impression of crumbling walls.

To carry you back through the ages, the National Park Service stations knowledgeable archaeologists here to tell you how the ancient people lived, to point out many significant details of their environment, and to lead you as intimately as possible into the life of this Stone Age community.

The telephoto view of Cliff Palace on [the two following pages] endeavors to picture the sweep and grandeur of this largest known cliff dwelling.