Silver City Part 3 Gila Cliff Dwellings C

Silver City Part 3: Gila Cliff Dwellings January 26, 2025 Located about an hour north of Silver City, twisting and winding route 15 takes you over the volcanic calderas at high elevations to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. A better road connects farther to the east, but it is a longer drive from Silver City itself. The pronunciation is like hee-luh, a soft ‘G’ because of its Spanish derivation. The visitor center, located several miles from the cliff dwellings, is a great stop for information. The whole region, with vistas of extinct volcanoes worn by time, is peppered with calderas, large, cauldron-like hollows or depressions that form shortly after a volcano erupts. The land surface collapses into an emptied magma chamber. The lengthy drive to and from this awesome set of caves set beneath the rock overhangs was well worth the time. The one-mile loop hike up and back leads you through stones, steep parts and easy level sections. The ancient Mogollon dwellings date back to 1275 to 1300. Very few archeological sites like this allow visitors to actually enter the fragile homes of these ancient indigenous Americans. It may have been a 25-year drought that convinced the 10 to 15 families to look elsewhere for their home. The south facing rooms and the overhang made for shade during the hot summer months and welcome warm sun in the winter. Chief Geronimo of the Bedonkohe band of Chiricahua Apache Indians was born in this area in the early 1820’s. He and his small band of warriors sought refuge in this area during the 24-year Apache Wars. Learn more about them by seeing our video of the Chiricahua National Monument. YouTube Copyright Free Music For Time To Disappear Go By Ocean - Ryan McCaffrey