This amazing handcrafted village, which has been builted in the 13th century, offers us the opportunity to study the relation between the territory and its inhabitants, which have been able to take advantage of the natural materials of the place where they used to live, to give life to an important landmark.
"Sandstone, mortar and wooden beams were the three primary construction materials for the cliff dwellings. The Ancestral Pueblo people shaped each sandstone block using harder stones collected from nearby river beds. The mortar between the blocks is a mixture of local soil, water and ash. Fitted in the mortar are tiny pieces of stone called "chinking." Chinking stones filled the gaps within the mortar and added structural stability to the walls."
The particular place in which this 100 houses construction has been placed, allowed the people to take advantage of a natural protection, creating a cozy place to live in. An artificial village in a natural cave creates a unique environment, which allows to exploit the best aspects of both natural and artificial shelters. This peculiar choice, allowed to build the residences with more freedom in terms of shape, since the most important aspects of the shelter were met by the natural sorroundings.
Something similar, not in terms of natural shelter but in terms of shape that doesn't follow climatic needs, is proposed by the Kivas that we can find between the territories which nowadays are defined as Arizona and New Mexico.