Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument preserves Mogollon and related Mimbres archaeological sites in the Gila Wilderness at the headwaters of the Gila River in southwestern New Mexico. Established in 1907, it protects cliff dwellings built within five natural alcoves above Cliff Dweller Canyon, where 46 identified rooms likely housed about 10 to 15 families in the late Pueblo III era. Tree-ring dating places construction between 1276 and 1287, though the reason for abandonment is unknown. Additional nearby ruins show a broader habitation supported by farming, gathering, and hunting. Federal protection grew from concerns over looting, making the site an important window into late prehistoric life in the mountain Southwest.