What will we do when we grow up?: Ancestral Puebloan Ruins

Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico

We are spending a number of days looking at various Ancestral Puebloan sites in the 4 Corners area where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona meet. This post will talk mostly about the architecture.

Salmon Ruins, New Mexico

Restored Great Kiva at Aztec Ruins site

The time frame of these ruins is from 1100 to 1300 AD. The Ancestral Puebloans were first active in the 4 Corners area as hunter-gatherers from about 900 AD onward. Once planting maze, beans, and squash was learned they started building more robust structures and by 1100 AD were establishing the communal and spiritual habits that allowed and required the larger multifamily sites. These communities grew in size with the largest being built and occupied about 1250 to 1280. But, by 1300, all the sites were abandoned and never reoccupied. Why? Several differing opinions range from outside attack to extended area-wide drought.

Present day Navajo hogan roof similar to kiva roof.

The most familiar site is the cliff dwelling sites at Mesa Verde (see Sept 21 post). But since most Ancestral Puebloans lived on the mesa, estimated about 85%, most ruins are collections of rock walls with a few square rooms and one or more kivas, to large sites several stories tall with hundreds of rooms and 10s of kivas. The round kivas were the communal gathering places with a center fire pit for warmth.

This builder used a decorative mixture of large and small stones.

The rock walls are impressive and usually one to two feet thick. Roofs and second story floors are wooden rafter supported with a yucca/twig/juniper bark layer topped with an adobe layer. Not a light weight roof, but very durable and insulating. The picture of a modern day Hogan ceiling shows how this roof construction is still used today.

Second and third occupations are visible in the room alterations, additions and wall builder variations. Some are very detailed builders while others look like they needed a quick addition for an unsuspected family addition (pre birth control days).

Ceiling height of 1st floor is to the round joist holes.

The rooms had low ceilings and the building traditions are taught and carried on even to present day. A handy skill to list on your National Parks job application!

Restoration at the Aztec Ruins.

Round kiva retrofitted into a square room.

Lizard eating moth

Another noted change in the 4 Corners area is in the wildlife sightings. The bear, elk, deer, and mountain sheep of Alberta, Montana and Wyoming have been replaced by lizards, snakes, bison, toads and insects.