About the Museum

The Manitou Cliff Dwellings are a privately owned tourist attraction consisting of fake Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings and interpretive exhibits located just west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, on U.S. Highway 24 in Manitou Springs. The attraction was built using stonework taken from a prehistoric Pueblo site in 1904 and was opened to the public in 1907. An associated private museum features commercially developed displays about Ancestral Puebloan peoples including exhibits of archaeological artifacts, tools, pottery, and weapons from Indigenous sites and/or replicated by the company that operates the site. Included in the museum is an interactive hands-on demonstration of a traditional horno-style oven where the Anasazi's would cook. The buildings were created as part of a commercial venture to divert tourists from Southwest archaeological sites by creating a version of a Pueblo dwelling place that was more easily accessible to early 20th century American visitors. Visitors can walk through the dwellings, and various displays and interpretive material attempt to imbue the entire attraction with a sense of authenticity, though the Manitou Cliff Dwellings are not themselves authentic.