Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in southwestern New Mexico was established as a national monument November 16, 1907. Its gross area is 533 acres (2.2 km²).

It offers a glimpse of the homes and lives of the people of the Mogollon culture who lived in the Gila Wilderness from the 1280s through the early 1300s. The surroundings probably look today very much like they did when the cliff dwellings were inhabited. It is surrounded by the Gila National Forest and lies at the edge of the Gila Wilderness, the United States' first designated wilderness area. This designation means that the wilderness character of the area will not be altered by the intrusion of roads or other evidence of human presence.

External links

National Park Service official site (http://www.nps.gov/gicl/)