Megalithic House ~ Mesa Verde National Park

The Far View area certainly is an interesting study, because some of the oldest dwellings have been discovered in this place. The Far View Tower, Far View House, Coyote Village, Megalithic House and Pipe Shrine House are just a few examples of the signature architectural designs that can be found on the mesa top building sites. A great kiva is also located in this big pueblo complex, which actually had more than 50 villages packed into this small area. Far View was once a very busy productive place that required city planning and massive infrastructure projects, which included a very large reservoir and irrigation systems.

As far as archaeology is concerned, the best place to start an excavation is usually the ancient trash pile. Several native cultures occupied this mountain top before the Mesa Verde Pueblo People started building complex structures at a later date. As can be imagined, several refuse piles exist underground in this area and one that predates the Far View complex was found directly under Megalithic House. This ancient rubbish pile is located between the reservoir and Far View Village, which is a logical location, but why the Megalithic House was built there is still kind of a mystery.
 
The architectural design of Megalithic House differs from the rest of the Far View Sites, so be prepared to spend some extra time looking at the details upon arrival. The small kiva has a very rustic look, yet it does have the classic key hole shape. The ground level pueblo has square shaped rooms with large stone slab wall foundations. The tall stone block slabs stood vertically, which lends to the name of this mysterious small pueblo.  

A protective canopy structure was built over Megalithic House because this site was excavated and it is no longer protected by layers of soil. The windows and doorways allow air to breeze through the building, so this is a nice shady spot to cool off during the hot summer season. All it takes is one look at the Megalithic House to have intriguing memories to ponder over for a lifetime, so be sure to follow the path when touring the Far View Sites!