In the thirteenth century a fairly unique trend appeared in the northern American Southwest. Many local farm families, whose ancestors had been living primarily on mesa tops and in broad canyons and valleys for six centuries, moved into the natural alcoves found in cliffs to build their homes and ceremonial architecture. These people are the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians of Arizona and New Mexico. Thirteenth century cliff dwellings are found in many canyons on the northern Colorado Plateau, an area that stretches in an arc from the Mesa Verde on the east across the canyon country of Utah on the north and ending in the Tsegi Canyon area of Arizona on the west. In a matter of a few generations, cliff dwellings and ceremonial architecture were built, modified, and then abandoned. By the end of the thirteenth century construction had stopped in all of these areas.

 

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