Mesa Verde National Park [key], 52,122 acres (21,109 hectares), SW Colorado; est. 1906. Set amid forested canyons and flat mesas, the park includes the most notable and best-preserved cliff dwellings (see cliff dwellers) and relics in the United States. The dwellings span four archaeological periods, from the 1st cent. a.d. to the late 13th cent., when they were abandoned. There are museums and a library. Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is to the west. See National Parks and Monuments (table)national parks and monuments (table).
See D. A. Smith, Mesa Verde National Park (1988).
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