As Americans, we celebrate the more than 250 years of our country's history and 500 plus years of mostly white European settlement. In the classroom we learn that Columbus discovered the "New World" and we extol the virtues of the founding fathers. All of this is recorded history.
In the Southwest USA there is a rich cultural heritage that goes back over 1000 years that is largely unrecorded. Archaeologists study the dwellings and other artifacts of these ancient peoples. They look at evidence, do testing and draw conclusions about how they lived. In the Flagstaff, Arizona area alone there are hundreds of archaeological sites. Some have been preserved as national monuments, most are being studied and many are as yet undiscovered.
Between 1100AD and 1200AD, native people inhabited the plains between the Painted Desert and the San Francisco Peaks of Arizona. In an area so dry it would seem impossible to live, they built pueblos, harvested rainwater, grew crops and raised families. Their way of life was the key to survival in this harsh landscape. These people survived here, farming one of the warmest and driest places on the Colorado Plateau. They developed the skills to farm the land and endure hardship in an area where many would not. Here, there is no evidence of nearby streams that could have been used for irrigation. All of the farming depended on rainfall. Today the remnants of their villages dot the landscape along with other artifacts. In order to preserve and protect this rich heritage, President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, established Wupatki National Monument under the protection of the National Park Service.
Ball courts, like the one at Wupatki Pueblo, were common in southern Arizona from 750AD to 1200AD. Archaeologists think that the concept of the ball court may have been borrowed from the indigenous cultures of Mexico. The fact that there is a ball court this far north in Arizona suggests that there may have been social interaction between the people at Wupatki Pueblo and the Hohokam people of Southern Arizona. Archaeologists don’t know the specific uses of the ball court but the existence of over 200 ball courts in Arizona suggests that ball games may have played an important social role in the lives of the people at Wupatki and their southern neighbors.
In the Southwest USA there is a rich cultural heritage that goes back over 1000 years that is largely unrecorded. Archaeologists study the dwellings and other artifacts of these ancient peoples. They look at evidence, do testing and draw conclusions about how they lived. In the Flagstaff, Arizona area alone there are hundreds of archaeological sites. Some have been preserved as national monuments, most are being studied and many are as yet undiscovered.
Between 1100AD and 1200AD, native people inhabited the plains between the Painted Desert and the San Francisco Peaks of Arizona. In an area so dry it would seem impossible to live, they built pueblos, harvested rainwater, grew crops and raised families. Their way of life was the key to survival in this harsh landscape. These people survived here, farming one of the warmest and driest places on the Colorado Plateau. They developed the skills to farm the land and endure hardship in an area where many would not. Here, there is no evidence of nearby streams that could have been used for irrigation. All of the farming depended on rainfall. Today the remnants of their villages dot the landscape along with other artifacts. In order to preserve and protect this rich heritage, President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, established Wupatki National Monument under the protection of the National Park Service.
Ball courts, like the one at Wupatki Pueblo, were common in southern Arizona from 750AD to 1200AD. Archaeologists think that the concept of the ball court may have been borrowed from the indigenous cultures of Mexico. The fact that there is a ball court this far north in Arizona suggests that there may have been social interaction between the people at Wupatki Pueblo and the Hohokam people of Southern Arizona. Archaeologists don’t know the specific uses of the ball court but the existence of over 200 ball courts in Arizona suggests that ball games may have played an important social role in the lives of the people at Wupatki and their southern neighbors.
This gallery contains some of my favorite Wupatki National Monument images that are available as downloads and fine art prints. To view the gallery, click here or on the photo collage above. When you are in the gallery, click on a thumbnail to enlarge an image. To navigate the images click on the arrows. To see the captions click on the (i) symbol.
