Colorado Photography of the American West

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27 June 2012

Southwestern Cliff Dwellers

Southwestern cliff dwelling, of an ancient prehistoric pueblo of the Anasazi in the American southwest nestled into a towering red rock cliff.
The vast and towering red sandstone canyon walls dwarfed the many roomed pueblo of the ancient Anasazi ruins. Evidence of handholds and ancient ladders were gone. Petroglyphs and walls remained. And so did human remains and artifacts of a past time. 

As I stood there looking up from far below my mind wandered through the unapproachable rooms. Wild turkeys would have been running about eating insects and ready to sound the alarm at the approach of predators. A mother was grinding corn with her children playing around her. The father was just back from a successful hunting trip, smoking with the men, and talking about the good fortune that would provide for all the families in the pueblo. 

For over a thousand years life was good for them. Archaeologists speculate that climate change was the reason for them leaving. There is overwhelming evidence that the exodus continued in waves for hundreds of years. If you would like to know more about this subject I highly recommend reading, "House of Rain," by Craig Childs. It is not only informative but quite fun in an "Indiana Jones" kind of way. 

I would love to hear from you so remember to leave me a comment.  Cheers!





Southwestern cliff dwelling, of an ancient prehistoric pueblo of the Anasazi in the American southwest nestled into a towering red rock cliff.

Cliff Dwelling 
Southwestern cliff dwelling, of an ancient prehistoric pueblo of the Anasazi in the American southwest nestled into a towering red rock cliff. 
Canyon de Chelly, Arizona


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6 comments:

  1. beautiful photo and writing, Julie.

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    1. Thank you PattyMara. I'm happy you enjoyed it.

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  2. what a beautiful dwelling/ photo. loved your reimaging of the ruins, their family life. how difficult it must have been to carry water & food up the ladder to their homes. and i'm left wondering how far they had to go to get said water. hope all is well. have a great day~

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    1. Thanks for your comment Naquillity. I envision people as history to be just like us only without the technology. No doubt they were in much better shape from hauling that water!

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  3. Ahhhh... What a sight! As you you described what you imagined, I was able to capture that scene, too.

    In the words of my kids, "Awesome!"

    I wish I could live long enough to see all the magnificence of the world. Hmmm... Guess I'll just have to stick with books, writings, and photos. Thank you.

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    1. Thanks Anita! The internet really has made our world a smaller place hasn't it!

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Contemporary photography of the cities, landscapes, flora and fauna of the American West.
Julie Magers Soulen Photography