Betatakin means "House Built on a Ledge" in Navajo. In Hopi, the name of the place is Talastima, or "Place of the Corn Tassel".
Betatakin was built in an enormous alcove measuring 452 feet high and 370 feet across between 1267 and 1286.
During its two-decade heyday, a maximum population of about 125 people has been estimated.
Betatakin contained about 120 rooms at the time of abandonment. Today only about 80 rooms remain, due to rock falls inside the alcove.
It is located in Navajo National Monument.

JULY 2011 CHALLENGE: ARCHITECTURE IN BLACK AND WHITE