Mesa Verde National Park

Square Tower House, Mesa Verde.

Mesa Verde National Park, located in southwest Colorado, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Puebloan people who made it their home for over 700 years, beginning about 550 A.D.

Though best known for its magnificent and remarkably well-preserved cliff dwellings, Mesa Verde protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, evidence of a society of over 4,000 people who thrived on these plateaus.

The park also houses more than 3 million artifacts, including extraordinary pots, baskets, bowls, mugs and sandals.

Mesa Verde National Park was established on June 29, 1906 to "preserve the works of man" — the first national park of its kind. Mesa Verde is also one of the original 12 World Heritage Sites named by UNESCO in 1978.

The Mesa Verde Foundation's mission is to fund capital improvements, projects and educational endeavors that promote an understanding of the park's cultural and natural resources. This translates to a substantial real-world impact on the park by addressing the significant challenges Mesa Verde faces.