Happy Birthday, MesaVerdeNPS! 🎉 For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and cliffs of Mesa Verde. Today, this park preserves the rich cultural heritage of 27 Pueblos and Tribes, offering visitors a stunning glimpse into the past. As a World Heritage Site and International Dark Sky Park, Mesa Verde is home to over a thousand species, including some found nowhere else on Earth. The park has also been named a Colorado Important Bird Area (IBA) by the AudubonSociety as they help preserve the Mexican Spotted Owl population. #MesaVerde #NationalPark #AncestralPueblo #WorldHeritage #DarkSkyPark #CulturalHeritage #ExploreHistory #ImportantBirdArea #AudubonSociety #MexicanSpottedOwl #Owl #Colorado 📸: NationalParkService Image 1: Un-roofed kivas and partial stone-masonry tower Image 2: View across Pipe Shrine House toward Far View House, a multi-roomed village at Far View Sites Image 3: Mexican Spotted Owl