<human>:  Who lived in the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde?
<bot>: The people who lived in the cliff dwellings were the Pueblo people. They were part of a large confederation of pueblos in the area. The Pueblo people were farmers and herders who lived in the Mesa Verde area. The pueblo people lived in the cliff dwellings because they had to defend themselves against other groups of people. The cliff dwellings were built between 850 and 1300 AD.