NAVAJO NATIONAL MONUMENT

a complex of three historic cliff dwellings near the town of Tonalea in northeastern Arizona, U.S. Betatakin (Navajo: Ledge House), Keet Seel (Broken Pottery), and Inscription House are three of the best-preserved and most elaborate cliff dwellings known and occupy a total area of 360 acres (146 hectares). Keet Seel, the largest, was first discovered by whites in 1895. The three sites were made a national monument by presidential proclamation in 1909. The dwellings were the principal home of the Kayenta Anasazi, a prehistoric people who lived there from about 1250 to 1300. The construction of the cliff dwellings was apparently the result of their evolution from hunters and gatherers to sedentary farmers, but they left because of climatic changes involving erosion and water shortages, which made farming impossible. The people probably moved to mesas to the south. The 135 rooms of Betatakin are tucked into a cliffside alcove measuring 452 feet (138 m) high and 370 feet (113 m) wide. Also situated in a cliff alcove are the 160 rooms and 6 kivas (ceremonial houses) of Keet Seel. Inscription House (closed to the public since 1968) has 74 rooms. To visit the ruins, visitors must take guided tours led by park rangers.