ONEOFMANYFEATHERS'
Ancient Indigenous Peoples
Puye Cliff Dwellings
Puye Cliff Dwellings is a National Landmark and is owned and operated as a cultural monument by the Pueblo of Santa Clara.
Beginning in the late 1100s, the upland mesas flanking the east side of the Jemez Mountains were settled by people of the Anasazi Culture.
For more than three centuries, from about 1250 to 1577 A.D., these cliff dwelling were called home to some 1500 pueblo Indians. Until such time as drought forced the villagers to leave for locations nearer the Rio Grande River, these ancient Indians built villages, dwelled, farmed and hunted game here.
The traditions of the people of the Pueblo of Santa Clara (located some 10 miles east of Puye) state that their ancestors were the inhabitants of this area. In the Tewa language, the name Puye translates as "pueblo ruin where the rabbits assemble or meet."
The dwellings are remarkable for being carved out of a 200 ft (61 m) high (60 m), cliff ridge formed from volcanic tuff. The rock is relatively soft and can be excavated using wooden tools. Some 740 rooms are carved out of the cliff, although foundations show that additional houses constructed from talus blocks lined the base of the cliff. It is likely that many of these houses grew to be several stories high and the cave rooms were then just the back rooms of these homes. Lines of post holes are carved into the cliff face and would have supported roof beams for the block house and may also be anchor points for wood ladders and walkways. About a dozen stairways, more like ladders of foot and hand holds, lead to the top of the cliff.
On the many rocky faces of the walls of the cliff house are numerous petroglyphs, including animal forms, human figures, geometric designs.
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