Mesa Verde
Cortez, United States
Mesa Verde National Park in south-western Colorado protects more than 5,000 Ancestral Puebloan sites, including about…
7 tickets & tours
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Best ancient sites in the United States
The catalogue’s sites in the United States are not classical ruins but the stone villages of the Ancestral Puebloan and Sinagua farmers of the Southwest, built between about AD 550 and 1400. Mesa Verde in south-western Colorado protects some 600 cliff dwellings, Cliff Palace the largest. The other four are in Arizona: Canyon de Chelly on Navajo Nation land, where cliff houses sit in red sandstone canyons still farmed by Navajo families; the red pueblos of Wupatki on the volcanic plain north-east of Flagstaff; and, half an hour apart in the Verde Valley, the five-storey Montezuma Castle and the hilltop pueblo of Tuzigoot.
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Canyon de Chelly
Chinle, United States
Canyon de Chelly is a national monument in north-eastern Arizona where red sandstone canyons hide cliff dwellings built…
3 tickets & tours
Montezuma Castle
Camp Verde, United States
Montezuma Castle is a five-storey cliff dwelling built by the Southern Sinagua people in a limestone alcove about 27…
2 tickets & tours
Wupatki National Monument
Flagstaff, United States
Wupatki National Monument protects red sandstone pueblos built by Ancestral Puebloan farmers on the dry plains…
2 tickets & tours
Tuzigoot National Monument
Clarkdale, United States
Tuzigoot is a Sinagua pueblo of about 110 rooms built along the crest of a ridge 37 metres above the Verde River near…
1 ticket or tour
Mesa Verde is the one to plan: ranger-led ladder tours into Cliff Palace and Balcony House are booked online up to 14 days ahead and sell out in summer, and the main sites lie an hour inside the park. Canyon de Chelly’s rim drives are free, but the canyon floor needs an authorised Navajo guide. Summer brings heat at the lower sites and afternoon monsoon storms, so spring and autumn are best.
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Ancient sites in the United States: questions
How many ancient sites are there in the United States?
This catalogue lists 5 ruins and ancient sites in the United States, 5 of them with tickets or tours to book online. The most booked are Mesa Verde, Canyon de Chelly, Wupatki National Monument.
Which is the oldest ancient site in the United States?
Mesa Verde, founded in AD 550, is the oldest in the catalogue for the United States.
Which ancient sites in the United States are free to enter?
1 of the 5 ancient sites in the United States charge no entry fee, among them Canyon de Chelly. The entry fee is shown on each page.
Which ancient sites in the United States are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
1 ancient sites in the United States in this catalogue are on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including Mesa Verde.