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| Original Ancestral Puebloan Painting |
While this isn't a truly amazing image from a photographic stand point, I just had to share it because I think it's a truly amazing subject. If you look back to the first image I posted of Cliff Palace, you'll notice some legs sticking out of the first floor doorway of the square tower on the right side of the village. That person was looking up at these original paintings on what would have been the third of fourth floor of the tower.
I don't know exactly when this room was painted, but Cliff Palace was last occupied in 1260 A.D., some 750 years ago. As amazing as it is that the paint survived, I find it more fascinating that people nearly 800 years ago enjoyed painting the walls of their homes same as we do today. Here's another view of the same room.
The wood beams you see criss crossing both images served to stabilize the walls of the tower and also acted as floor joists for the different levels.
Please Note: The National Park Service has decided that people should be allowed to look up in this tower and have done the required work to ensure it is safe. When exploring more remote, less controlled ruins don't attempt to crawl in them. If the structure hasn't been properly inspected and stabilized it could very easily collapse without notice. Also, repeated contact with the walls of the ruins has a noticeable impact of the stone. Take a look at this image. The oils in people's hands has built up and attracted dirt over the years causing staining around the doorway. The park service has deemed this acceptable in this case, but that's a decision best left up to the experts.
I don't know exactly when this room was painted, but Cliff Palace was last occupied in 1260 A.D., some 750 years ago. As amazing as it is that the paint survived, I find it more fascinating that people nearly 800 years ago enjoyed painting the walls of their homes same as we do today. Here's another view of the same room.
The wood beams you see criss crossing both images served to stabilize the walls of the tower and also acted as floor joists for the different levels.
Please Note: The National Park Service has decided that people should be allowed to look up in this tower and have done the required work to ensure it is safe. When exploring more remote, less controlled ruins don't attempt to crawl in them. If the structure hasn't been properly inspected and stabilized it could very easily collapse without notice. Also, repeated contact with the walls of the ruins has a noticeable impact of the stone. Take a look at this image. The oils in people's hands has built up and attracted dirt over the years causing staining around the doorway. The park service has deemed this acceptable in this case, but that's a decision best left up to the experts.
