Crosby Price Dr. Walker (Coconuts mom) Native American Studies 4/14/24.
The Cliff Palace is Not Pristine. The Cliff Palace of Mesa Verde subverts the notion that native peoples at the time of European settlement were not considerably shaping the environment, or capable of complex thinking and infrastructure. The Cliff Palaces were built by the Pueblo people, native to the Four Corners region, between 1000 to 1100 CE, and were utilized for up to 800 years. The palace itself was home to around 125 people, however, the surrounding communities in Mesa Verde reached populations of 700. The Pristine myth is the narrative of European colonizers justifying their invasion of the Americas. Although native peoples were inhabiting the land when Columbus…show more content… The Cliff Palace also holds evidence of the Pueblo people's internal and intertribal relationships. The position of the palace under the cliffside was strategic in a multitude of ways. The poison both provided shelter from the elements and possible threats. The palace was in the perfect position to be able to identify vulnerabilities and spot incoming danger. Although the Cliff Palaces were on Pueblo territory there were known conflicts and tension with neighboring tribes, the overhang provided an optimal view to combat attacks. The Pueblo people's ingenuity and adaptability in response to intertribal conflict not only show their capacity for having complex social structures but also dispel the belief that native peoples were helpless victims of colonization. Their aptitude for navigating conflict before Europeans even arrived is more evidence pointing to the completely inaccurate narrative that the native peoples discovered by Europeans were not capable of inhabiting the land to its full potential or a European standard. The Cliff Palace is evidence of extensive urban planning and a clear societal structure. Dwellings were arranged around communal kivas. Kivas were the religious
