Gila Cliff Dwellings

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 Gila Cliff Dwellings


On a trip several years ago to see friends in New Mexico and family in California, we made a swing into the backcountry of New Mexico to experience this national monument. It was a site my Out-West-loving Dad had enjoyed years before. The cliff dwelling is located in a recess in a rock wall high above the canyon floor with access by ladder. The shallow cavern contains some 40 rooms. A guide informed us that artifacts obtained here, beautifully designed ceramic bowls,

were unique to the years from 1100 to 1300AD. Trade goods from as far away as Central America, macaw feathers, for example, were also uncovered here. We were given the tour inside the cavern, and saw up-close the rooms with unique, T-shaped door openings and stone grain storage bins. One wall near the dwellings was decorated with pictographs, ancient paintings in ochre. It was an interesting glimpse into the life of Southwestern people from the mystical past.

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