Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

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Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is surrounded by the Gila National Forest, and lies within the nation's first designated wilderness area, the Gila Wilderness, proclaimed in 1924.	The staff at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is always on hand to greet visitors. Left to Right: National Park Service Volunteer Nancy Olson; Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument Superintendent Steve Riley; and Gila National Forest Park Guide Barry L. Nielsen.	These "T"-shaped windows at the Gila Cliff Dwellings bear a striking resemblance to those at the Paquime World Heritage Site ruins, evidence of the shared culture between the two civilizations.
Archeologists and historians have determined that the remoteness of the Gila Cliff Dwellings site probably contributed to its preservation throughout the centuries since it was inhabited.	The northern anchor of the Mimbres-Paquime Connection Loop Trail lies at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in Catron County, New Mexico. Jointly managed and maintained by the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument offers visitors an incomparable glimpse of prehistoric architecture, as well as the daily lives of the Mogollon culture endemic to southwestern New Mexico and northern Mexico during the late 13th and early 14th Centuries. Click here to go to their website	Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument remains the sole site of Mogollon ruins within the system of national parks.
The Gila Visitor Center is located approximately one mile from the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. The Center is staffed daily and provides interpretive exhibits, as well as information and souvenirs on the Gila Cliff Dwellings, the Gila National Forest, and the Gila Wilderness.	The historical marker at the entrance to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument denotes its establishment in 1907, when the prehistoric site was still known as the Gila Hot Springs Cliff-Houses.	It is theorized that centuries following the abandonment of the Cliff Dwellings, Apache tribes inhabited the area but did not disturb the prehistoric ruins. Their presence also successfully prevented other intruders from entering the area until the late 1870s.

For more information, please call (505)536-9461 or visit their website. All photos by Sandy Broadbent, unless otherwise noted.