We spent the afternoon yesterday "doing" Mesa Verde. I had to go in for brief Mesa Verde Museum Association business, so we went on to get pictures of the cliff dwellings that get afternoon sun.
The panorama below, taken from Sun Point on the west side of the juncture of Fewkes (left) and Cliff Canyons (beyond) is small, but it shows part of the Cliff Palace community. Sun Temple is atop the point at the left, with Mummy House on a ledge below it. To the right of Sun Temple, on the far side of Cliff Canyon, is the alcove with Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling. The viewing platform where folks wait for the tour is at the left of the alcove; people exit on ladders through a chimney at the right side of the alcove. From Sun Point, if you let your gaze travel along the ledges to the right of Cliff Palace, you can see numerous small structures, with just fragments of walls remaining. Sunset House is on two levels in the big alcove at the right.
In the pictures above, a closer view of Mummy House is provided, showing the beautiful little structure tucked up in the alcove, with a red plaster design on its face.
Further up Fewkes Canyon is Oak Tree House, built on and into a platform of dirt that was carried into the alcove.
Still further up Fewkes Canyon is New Fire House (fanciful name given by archeologist Jesse Walter Fewkes, after Hopi practices), which is built on two levels. This shot shows the series of hand-and-toeholds that were used to get from a lower-level roof (now gone) to the upper level buildings. tv
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