Earthen Homes

1 While most people mow their lawns during the summer, Merle Alix of Michigan mows his roof. Alix and his family live in an earthen home or a house that is built into the ground. He and his family are not the first to live in an underground home though. People all over the world have been doing it for ages because of the many advantages that underground homes can bring.

2 The first people to live in underground homes were cave dwellers, but as humans became more skilled, earthen homes also became more advanced. The Anasazi Indians were a group of cave dwellers who learned to build more sophisticated homes into the sides of cliffs. These cliff dwellers lived around 1200 B.C. to A.D. 1300, and constructed multi-level units to live in. These units were very similar to apartments today, but they had no windows or doors to block the entry ways. The Anasazi made ladders to climb into these apartment-like homes. Once inside, the ladders could be pulled up and stored away in the apartments. Building their homes in this way protected the Anasazi from harsh weather, and it prevented enemies from easily attacking the Anasazi. Enemies would have to climb hundreds of feet up in order to reach the cliff dwellers.3 Today’s earthen home dwellers have also found many advantages to living underground.