Gila Cliff Dwellings

Saturday, as a much less intense experience, John and I travelled into New Mexico and visited the Gila Cliff Dwellings. We got there very early, so there was noone else around and the volunteer ranger on duty spent about an hour passing on every bit of knowledge he had about the place. Here's a shot from inside the large dwellings high on the cliffs.


Inside Gila Cliff Dwellings 

There are smaller dwellings, still in the cliffs, but lower in the valley, apparently intended for single families amongst the Mogollons, the tribe from this particular area. The Mogollon disappeared relatively suddenly and no one knows quite where they went. Of course, there are those that think they headed to outer space using technology brought by aliens. I think they all caught colds from a travelling salesman.