I loved Colorado and I loved seeing the Anasazi Indian Cliff dwellings at Manitou Springs. These authentic Indian Cliff dwellings are situated off Route 24 just west of Colorado Springs where we were staying and are located at the foot of Pikes Peak nestling under the red sandstone overhang which protects them.

I said authentic but there does seem to be some controversy as to whether or not these are authentic Indian dwellings or not, some say that they are just out and out fakes. Some say that they are reconstructed dwellings from Mesa Verde that have been taken down stone by stone and relocated to Manitou Springs where they have been faithfully rebuilt to the original specifications. Lastly some say that these are authentic Anasazi Indian dwellings built by the Anasazi over 700 years ago.

As a simple tourist I cannot tell you which one of the above is the truth each of these opinions seem to have their following and they all seem very forceful when putting their view across. So instead of trying to judge which of these opinions represents the truth I will settle instead for sharing our day and photos of these Indian Dwellings and I hope that you enjoy them as much as we did.

One of the first things you will notice as you wander around these ancient (I’m going for the authentic view) dwellings is the complete lack of any kind of notice telling you not to touch or not to go into, in fact you are positively encouraged to climb and explore the site which is a refreshing change.

Not needing much encouragement we set about exploring the Cliff Dwellings and as it was March we pretty much had the site to ourselves so we could go at our own pace and take as long as we wanted without putting anyone else out. I don’t know how many visitors these dwellings have in the more popular summer months but I suspect you won’t have quite as much freedom to do your own thing when there are many others who all also want to see the dwellings.

We were not limited to seeing these dwelling from just the outside we were free to wander where we liked inside of the dwellings as well. On our travels we have seen many such sites that we were only able to view at a distance because the fabric of the buildings or the artefacts would not withstand for long the hands and feet of thousands of tourists as they explored.

Many of the historical sites in my own country that I could wander around at will when I was a child have now been closed off to the public because of the damage that thousands of visitors cause just by visiting. The wear and tear that just people visiting an attraction can cause can actually be responsible for destroying it. The Major Oak the oldest tree in Sherwood Forest (Robin Hood and his outlaw band lived here) which is around eight hundred years old had had to be roped off because the feet of the visitors as they went close to the tree compacted the earth to such an extent that it was killing the tree that they had come to visit.

From inside the dwellings you get commanding views of the surrounding countryside, Colorado is a very beautiful and impressive State.

Close by the dwellings just a very short walk away is the Pueblo style three story Visitor's Center in which there is housed a very good gift shop and a small museum. The building was designed to complement the dwellings which I think it does very well which is not surprising because the Pueblo Indians are the descendants of the Anasazi who are said to have been the original inhabitants of the dwellings.

When we visited in March there were no American Indian Dancing taking place for us to see and enjoy but if you visit during the summer months you will be able to see American Indian Dancing with all the elaborate and ornate costumes and trappings of the dance. Below is a short video I found on YouTube of The Eagle Dance being performed this year at Manitou Springs I hope you enjoy it.

Well this brings this visit pretty much to a close, I hope that our visit and the photos that we took while there have given you an idea of what you will find at the Indian Dwellings in Manitou Springs.

Did we enjoy our visit?

Yes we enjoyed our visit.

Would we go again?

Probably not it was nice to see but not worth a second visit once I think is enough.

Take some time out and see some of the other places we have been to. If you have never been to Spain then check out the Guadalest and Villajoyosa hubs you will be in for a real treat the photographs give you a real taste of Spain.