Palatki Heritage Site

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For the village in Poland, see Pałatki.
See also: Palatki (disambiguation)
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Cliff at Palatki with Singua Indian dwellings at base

Palatki Heritage Site is located in the Coconino National Forest in Sedona, Arizona (approximately 34 55' 3.58"N, 111 53' 58.85"W). Built in the formidable red rock cliffs of the area are a set of ruins belonging to the Sinagua. The Sinagua are thought to be connected to the Hopi Indian Tribe. The word Palatki means 'red house' in the Hopi language. The Sinagua people planted crops, made pottery, and lived in pueblos. They took advantage of south-facing overhangs in the rock when they built their shelters[1] The Sinagua created the ruins from 1100 to 1400, but there are pictographs and petroglyphs that are much older. It's told that ancestors of Native American's lived in the area from around 1150 to 1300 CE. Some of the petroglyphs are estimated to be 5,000 to 6,000 years old and came from the more archaic cultures. Palatki and its sister site, Honanki, were the largest cliff dwellings of the Red Rock country between 1150 A.D. and 1300 A.D. Many of the pictographs on the rock walls are from the Sinagua, however, some of the more abstract symbols and drawings are from Archaic cultures, which date back 3000–6000 years ago[1] Palatki, and Honanki, the sister site, wee the largest cliff dwellings of Red Rock County between A.D. 1150-1300.[2]

The Palatki Heritage site is open to tourists 7 days a week from 9:30am – 3:00pm. There are two different trails during the tours to go on and one allows tourists to see the beautiful Sinagua cliff dwellings and the other trail allows tourists to view the various pictographs and petroglyphs there. Rest areas and water stations are available[3] No pets are allowed and cars must purchase a Red Rock Pass to enter.[4] Trails are not handicap accessible[3]

Unfortunately, the strong tourist attraction in the area has caused erosion and deformation to the area. This was originally the cause of poor archaeology appreciation by the European founders of the area. Photographs from the early 1900s show that an estimated 70 to 90 percent of the original structures have been destroyed. Some stories suggest that early visitors would dig up the bones of the dead, buried beneath the ruins, and take them home as souvenirs.

Despite the previous problems of the area, Palatki is still a popular attraction.

Contents

Panorama [edit]

Rock formations at Palatki

Gallery [edit]

  • Sinagua Indian dwellings.

  • Cave pictographs at Palatki.

  • Cave painting detailing the position of the sun with respect to the rock formations opposite at the various solstices.

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b http://www.sedonahikingtrails.com/palatki-indian-ruins.htm
  2. ^ http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/outdoorlearning/recarea/?recid=55368&actid=119
  3. ^ a b http://www.arizona-leisure.com/palatki-indian-ruins.html
  4. ^ US Forest Service: Coconino National Forest: Palatki Heritage Site

External links [edit]

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