Colorado,  Family Travel,  West

Historical Fun at Manitou Cliff Dwellings

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One of my favorite things about traveling is being able to bring history to life, and our visit to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings did not disappoint. The kids and I studied the Anasazi last year in our homeschool, so we were all looking forward to seeing how they lived. These cliff dwellings were originally located in McElmo Canyon in southwestern Colorado and were transferred to Colorado Springs, from 1904 to 1907. First they were moved by oxen and then shipped via railroad. After the move was completed, they were opened to the public. They were reassembled with concrete mortar, allowing individuals to walk inside and explore them.

The day of our visit the weather was perfect. The sun was shining and the fall air was crisp and refreshing without being too chilly. We started out with a walk through the museum and gift shop and then headed outside to walk through the cliff dwellings.

The museum was a wealth of information, and had a lot of great artifacts to look at. The Anasazi, meaning “the ancient ones”, lived in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona from approximately 1000-1300 AD. They lived in permanent structures which were pit-houses and then transitioned to cliff dwellings.

Pueblos are thought to be descendants of the Anasazi, and the museum is housed in a 3-story Pueblo-style building.

The cliff dwellers were farmers who grew corn, beans, and squash, and were resourceful hunters who wasted nothing, even using bones for tools. There were several types of baskets on display, some of which were so tightly woven that they could hold water. After a 24 year drought the Anasazi seemed to disappear, possibly joining other tribes.

The rooms of their dwellings would be small, approximately 6’x8′ and only 5 1/2′ high. Small rooms were necessary in order to keep warm.

The second and third floors could only be accessed via a ladder. When intruders would approach they could simply pull up the ladder. Windows and doors were small and could be closed with a stone. Pegs hanging off of dwellings would be used for hanging meat and vegetables.

The Horno, beehive-shaped oven, was used for baking bread. Inside this oven up to 30 one-pound loaves could be baked at once.

Micah really enjoyed grinding her own meal and pretending she was a cliff dweller. “Metate” stones were used to grind grain, and a flat “mano” stone would be slid back and forth to turn the grain into meal.

After exploring the museum and cliff dwellings, you can sit outside and enjoy the exquisite view.

For another look at our visit to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, check out our YouTube video below. You can also read about Day 1 of this trip and our visit to the Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Casa Bonita, as well as the first part of Day 2 and a look at the Garden of the Gods.

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