"Taking care of our planet is like taking care of our houses. Since we human beings come from Nature, there is no point in our going against nature, which is why I say the environment is not a matter of religion or ethics or morality. These are luxuries, since we can survive without them. But we will not survive if we continue to go against nature." - Dalai Lama _ Admiring the cave dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park in southwest Colorado, USA. _ These are the best preserved Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites in the United States. With more than 4,300 sites, including 600 cliff dwellings, it is the largest archaeological preserve in the country. _ The area was originally settled around 7500 BCE but these dwellings were only built in the 12th century CE. By 1285, following a period of social and environmental instability driven by a series of severe and prolonged droughts, they abandoned the area and moved south to locations in Arizona and New Mexico. _ This unique location reminds me of how our destiny is so intricately entwined with our environment. And we have to do everything possible to preserve our planet not for our sake, but for our children and grandchildren. _ #mesaverde #archeology @visitdurango

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