Wupatki National Monument

Wupatki National Monument
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
Wukoki Ruins complex
Location	Coconino County, Arizona, USA
Nearest city	Flagstaff, Arizona
Coordinates	35°33′56″N 111°23′13″W
Area	35,254 acres (142 km²)
Established	December 9, 1924
Visitors	493,621 (in 2002)
Governing body	National Park Service

The Wupatki National Monument is a National Monument located in north-central Arizona, near Flagstaff. Rich in Native American ruins, the monument is administered by the National Park Service in close conjunction with the nearby Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.

Wupatki was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

The many settlement sites scattered throughout the monument were built by the Ancient Pueblo People, more specifically the Sinagua, Cohonina, and Kayenta Anasazi. Wupatki was first inhabited around 500 AD. A major population influx began soon after the eruption of Sunset Crater in the 11th century (between 1040–1100), which blanketed the area with volcanic ash; this improved agricultural productivity and the soil's ability to retain water. By 1182, about 85 to 100 people lived at Wupatki Pueblo and by 1225, the site was permanently abandoned. It was a 100-room pueblo with a community room and ball court; making it the largest building for nearly fifty miles. There have also been nearby secondary structures uncovered, including two kivalike strctures. Based on a careful survey of archaeological sites conducted in the 1980s, an estimated 2000 immigrants moved into the area during the century following the eruption. Agriculture was based mainly on corn and squash raised from the arid land without irrigation. In the Wupatki site, the residents harvested rain water due to the rarity of springs. Around 800 years ago, the Wupatki site was the largest pueblo around.

The dwelling's walls were constructed from thin, flat blocks of the local Moenkopi sandstone giving the pueblos their distinct red color. Held together with mortar, many of the walls still stand. Each settlement was constructed as a single building, sometimes with scores of rooms. The largest settlement on monument territory is the Wupatki Ruin, "Tall House" in the Hopi language, built around a natural rock outcropping. With over 100 rooms, this ruin is believed to be the area's tallest and largest structure for its time period. The monument also contain ruins identified as a ball court, similar to the courts found in Meso-America and in the Hohokam ruins of southern Arizona; this is the northernmost example of this kind of structure. This site also contains a geological blowhole. Other major sites are Wukoki and The Citadel.

Wupatki is called Anaasází Bikin in Navajo, which translates as Houses of the Enemies.

Today Wupatki appears empty and abandoned. Though it is no longer physically occupied, Hopi believe the people who lived and died here remain as spiritual guardians. Stories of Wupatki are passed on among Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, and perhaps other tribes. Members of the Hopi Bear, Sand, Lizard, Rattlesnake, Water, Snow, and Katsina Clans return periodically to enrich their personal understanding of their clan history. Wupatki is remembered and cared for, not abandoned.

• Wupatki Ruins
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  Wupatki Ruin Paronama

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  Wupatki Ruin Ball Court

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  Box Canyon Ruins

External links

• Wupatki National Monument - with pictures

Media related to Wupatki National Monument at Wikimedia Commons

• Official NPS website: Wupatki National Monument
• American Southwest, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary