Description

Spruce Tree House is the third largest and the most accessible and most visited site at Mesa Verde National Park. It is located below Chapin Mesa within a sandstone alcove protected by an overhanging cliff on the eastern side of Spruce Tree Canyon. A nearby spring provided a source of water to the ancient inhabitants. Spruce Tree House is considered Mesa Verde's best preserved cliff dwelling with a length of 216ft. and width of 80ft. at its widest section. The cliff dwelling contains 114 rooms and eight kivas. Some of the rooms served as habitations and some as storage. Construction is typically sand stone with adobe mud mortar. Kiva is a Hopi word for ceremonial room, and at Mesa Verde they tend to be round in plan and underground. Here they are located in the front zone of the cliff dwelling. A transversal "street" running east-west divides the complex into a north and a south compound. At the rear are two large dark recesses that served for refuse and burial. It is estimated that Spruce Tree House was home to about 80 inhabitants.

Media Id: media_MES_20080909_161945 Date Uploaded: 2008-09-09 16:19:45 Polygons: 178180 Verticies: 99633 Textured Polygons: 178180 Untextured Polygons: 0