Building into a cliff, and then leaving

Start with geography

A green table in dry country

Mesa Verde is a high plateau in south-western Colorado, tilted slightly south, cut by deep canyons. The tilt matters: it gives the mesa tops more sun and a longer growing season than the surrounding country, and the elevation catches more moisture than the lowlands. Deep wind-blown soil sits on top.

So you have farmland in a region that mostly is not farmland, with canyon walls beneath it. The canyons are sandstone over shale, and where water seeps along that junction it undercuts the rock and leaves alcoves — large natural shelters partway down a cliff. Those alcoves are the reason people are still talking about this place.

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