Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde
By Ronya Younes

The short hike to the sandstone structure known as Cliff Palace seems like miles in the hot sun. The sun seems to magnify itself with each step we take. Cliff Palace suddenly appears in the distance like a distant dream. The sandstone structure, half hidden by the overhanging cliff, seems oddly out of place. Sitting in the shade a short distance away, we listened as our tour guide did his best to answer any questions we had. My attention, however, was not focused on our guide. Cliff Palace with its sandstone walls and tower rooms and many kivas captured my mind as nothing before it. I could almost see the men, women and children who lived and worked and played here. Knowing that I may be sitting in an exact place as a woman cooking dinner for her family centuries ago was an incredible feeling. The palace is in a perfect position to attract heat and shade in different seasons. Bathed in the sunlight only a few hours during the summer, it is nice and cool then. During the winter, the sun shines almost all day, giving warmth that is so greatly needed. The hike back is narrow and vertical. It is necessary to climb several wooden ladders and squeeze in crevices of sandstone walls. The ladders and steps were the equivalent of a four-story building. It was our last stop of the day, and I was dying by the time I got to the top. What remains of Cliff Palace gives only a brief glimpse of what life was like for people centuries ago. Centuries from now, when we are all gone, will there be people standing in our houses wondering what happened to us?

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