The Manitou Cliff Dwellings were pretty cool. It cost me $9, with free parking and you could spend as little or as much time there as you wanted. I went to capture a photo op, so i was not dissapointed to learn the dwellings are "sorta fake." When I was there walking, climbing, sitting and touching the dwellings I could not shake the feeling that 'these cant be real.' This wall cant be over 1,000 years old. 'This concrete work is just to modern for that date...'
The sign says, "Please come in and buy something!"
So, i googled it. These Cliff dwellings were MOVED to this location from near Mesa Verde, CO. back in 1904. The buildings are over 1,000 years old and were built by Native Americans. But they were not built here. Two businessmen from Manitou decided to "save these ruins from desocration by vandals" by tearing them down and moving them. *The antiquitites act of 1906 prohibits things like this. But these guys did this earlier, in 1904. (The 1906 Antiquities Act was the first United States law to provide general protection for any general kind of cultural or natural resource. It established the first national historic preservation policy for the United States.) So it was a nice photo op but not authentic. It was also a beautiful day!
This concrete work looks, feels too new
