Take a tour of Mesa Verde in Colorado, United States – part of the World’s Greatest Attractions travel video series by GeoBeats.
Southwestern Colorado serves as the backdrop for Mesa Verde, one of the great windows into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people.
Meaning "green table," Mesa Verde was first discovered by Spanish explorers moving west to California.
However, it wasn't until the late 19th century that the famous cliff dwellings, like the Cliff Palace, were discovered.
The cliff dwellings, built under rocky outcroppings and in caves, were home to the natives for hundreds of years.
Hard sandstone and adobe were the main building materials for these houses.
Though much of the ruins are well-preserved, much vandalism and theft took place in the early years of the area's discovery.
To protect this piece of history, Mesa Verde was named a U.S. National Park in 1906, and is a National Historic Landmark today.