Mesa Verde National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Montezume County, Colorado. Mesa Verde National Park is over 81 square miles, located near the Four Corners Monument. The park was dedicated in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt to protect the ancient and well preserved cliff dwellings of the Anasazi people.

The Anasazi lived in the area from 600 to 1300 BC. The tribe constructed cliff dwellings within caves under the outcroppings. For the first six centuries, they primarily lived on the mesa tops. It was not until the final 75 to 100 years that they constructed and lived in the cliff dwellings for which Mesa Verde is best known.

Currently Mesa Verde has over 4,700 archaeological sites including 600 cliff dwellings. The most famous one in the park is known as Cliff Palace, which is believed to be the largest, such dwelling in North America. In the 1800's the Utes resided in the area; however, they believed the cliff dwellings to be ancient ancestral sites and did not live in them. The park also contains the mesa top sites of pithouses, pueblos, masonry towers, and farming structures. Archeologists believe that even more buildings are yet to be discovered. These notable sites are some of the best preserved ruins in the United States.