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Crumbled House Ruins is located 65 miles south of Mesa Verde, and 45
miles west of Chaco Canyon in the Chuska Valley, and is culturally more
related to Mesa Verde.
The place consists of an upper mesa-top room block and a lower room block
built on the talus of the mesa. There is ceramic evidence that the place
was built between 1100AD and 1250 AD.
The upper room block is about 100 feet above the valley floor. Its plan
is isosceles triangle with multi-story round towers at each corner. There
is a deep moat and a wall (12 feet high and 3 feet thick) separating the
upper room block from the contiguous mesa top.
The lower room block exists in five or six terrace levels.
Wood for the vigas (roof and upper floor beams) were carried without the
use of wheels from the Chuska mountains--two mile distant to the southwest.
It has been pointed out that the organization of this village into tow distinct
components is reminiscent of the earlier White House in Canyon de Chelly
(pronounced "canyon dushay") 35 miles to the west of this location.
