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Gila Cliff Dwellings National MonumentCliff Dwellings
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Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Cacti / Desert Succulents
A photo of the ripe bright red fruit of the prickly pear cactus.

NPS Photo by Barry Nielsen

Ripe red fruit of the prickly pear cactus.

Cactus common to the area include: Prickly Pear, Fendler's Hedgehog, Claret Cup Hedgehog, Cane Cholla.

Succulents include: Soaptree Yucca, Banana Yucca, Parry Agave, Desert Spoon.
Cliff Dwelling Vigas  

Did You Know?
The stone axes made it challenging for the Mogollon to cut down trees for vigas (roof beams) in the Gila Cliff Dwellings. So, before chopping the tree trunks, they would burn a small fire around the base of the trunk to weaken it so their axes could cut it down more easily.

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Last Updated: July 25, 2006 at 00:23 EST