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The Most Controversial Ruins in Colorado
People visit the Manitou Cliff Dwellings each year in Manitou Springs, Colorado. But it was already controversial before it even opened in 1907.
Here are some things you may not know about the Manitou Cliff Dwellings.
They’re Not Authentic Cliff Dwellings
In case you’re wondering– no, the Manitou Cliff Dwellings aren’t real. They’re more of replicas.
The builders took stones and masonry from an ancient, collapsed 40-room pueblo ruins in McElmo Canyon then shipped them over 300 miles away to the resort town of Manitou Springs. According to the site, they “reassembled the dwellings in dimension and appearance to those in the four corners region.”
They also used modern mortar and mixed in broken ancient pottery, which are materials the original Puebloan builders never used.
Ancestral Puebloans Never Lived at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings
Manitou Springs is about a 7-hour drive from Mesa Verde, where the Ancient Puebloans lived around 600 AD to 1300 AD (this includes the Four Corners area). They stayed primarily in southwestern Colorado, and never lived in western El Paso County where Manitou Springs is located.
They Claimed a Volcano Explosion Wiped Out the Original Builders
A 1907 brochure from the museum claimed that a volcano killed off the cliff dwellers and that “Pueblo Indians are not descended from cliff dwellers.”
The truth, according to the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, is simple: the Ancestral Puebloans didn’t go extinct. Around 1200 AD, they moved south to Arizona and New Mexico, including the Rio Grande Valley.
A Preservationist Was Involved – But It Was Still a Scandal
The project was the brainchild of Harold Ashenhurst of Texas and Manitou Springs’ very own William Crosby of Manitou Springs. But the big push came from Virginia McClurg, founder of Colorado Cliff Dwellers Association.
As a preservationist, McClurg was vehemently against looting of archaeological sites. That’s why her involvement with the Manitou Cliff Dwellings – which meant to take parts of an ancient pueblo – came as a shock to some of her colleagues.
She eventually became a stockholder in the Manitou Cliff Dwellings Museum and Preserve.
Some Indigenous People Object to the Site
On a Twitter video, Pikes Peak Indigenous Women’s Alliance leader Raven Payment visited the Manitou Cliff Dwellings and said that “Every effort to stereotype Natives as primitive, dirty, and diseased was taken.”
Indeed, the website still calls the Ancient Ones as “cave dwellers” and refers to their initial pit houses as “cramped, smelly, crude, dark, smoky, and cold” by modern standards.
The Manitou Cliff Dwellings are Very Small
The cliff dwellings themselves are a mere 200 feet, about 70 steps in total.
Visitors are encouraged to be as hands-on as possible, such as crawling and climbing through the site. You can also bring leashed dogs here.
It’s the complete opposite from the authentic cliff dwellings located at the Mesa Verde National Park.
Some Love the Experience
A lot of people enjoyed their time at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings and love learning about the history behind it.
They say it’s a great place to spend an hour or two if you’re just passing through Colorado Springs. TripAdvisor reviews also say it’s fun for kids.
Others Say It’s a Tourist Trap
One of the biggest reasons behind the “tourist trap” claim is that the gift shop is way bigger than the cliff dwellings themselves.
Every opening led to the gift shop where you can buy everything from shaman wisdom cards to cowboys-and-Indians weapon sets and dreamcatcher necklaces. They also said there was very little to see.
Where to See Authentic Cliff Dwellings in Colorado
For the real thing, head over to the Mesa Verde National Park in southwest Colorado. This UNESCO World Heritage Site protects over 5,000 ancient sites, including 600 cliff dwellings.
These ruins show how the Ancestral Puebloan people lived here from the 500s to the 1100s.
The post A Millennium-Old Ancient Village Was Dismantled to Create this Popular “Tourist Trap” in Manitou Springs appeared first on When In Your State.
