This unforgettable public domain image of the ‘White House’ Anasazi ruins in Canyon de Chelle is well-known and often reproduced. It is emblematic of cliff-dwellings of the American Southwest. One hardly notices the pueblos at the foot of the cliff — those in the rock-shelter or cave are the center of focus. Then the cliff face continues above, streaked with different colored rock layers in one direction, and stains of a thousand years of rain in the other.

The ruins on the ledge of rock are castellated, like medieval European forts. The one on the left appears to be several stories high, and buttressed for strength. Impregnable, with the high-ground advantage, certainly defenders could withstand anything but a prolonged siege, when water would be their weak point.

But they were found unoccupied; nature had already ousted the defenders — most likely by withholding water. The best laid plans are never a match for relentless time.

This is another Timothy H O’Sullivan image, like our earlier post on Canyon de Chelle, and is dated from the same time period, about 1873.