WUPATKI, AZ

WUPATKI IS A PREHISTORIC ADOBE RUIN IN THE NORTHEASTERN PART OF JUST 12 MILES NORTHEAST OF FLAGSTAFF. IT WAS BUILT BY THE PUEBLOAN CULTURE. IT IS A UNIQUE MULTI-STORY VILLAGE WHERE THE PUEBLOAN CULTURE EXISTED AT LEAST 800 - 1100 YEARS AGO. THEY WERE PRIMARILYHUNTERS AND GATHERERS, IT IS LOCATED ON THE COLORADO PLATEAU AND IT IS ONE OF THE WARMEST AND DRIEST PLACES ON THE COLORADO PLATEAU. THEY HAVE A VISITOR CENTER THERE NOW. BUT WHEN MY HUSBAND AND I VISITED THERE THEY HAD NOT BUILT A VISITOR CENTER. THEY BUILT A 100 ROOM PUEBLO THERE AND THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHERS. WAPATKI HAD A COMMUNITY ROOM AND BALLCOURT. POSSIBLY 100 PEOPLE LIVED AT THIS LARGE PUEBLO, AND WITHIN WITHIN A DAYS WALK OF THE PUEBLO, AND WITHIN A DAYS WALK OF THE PUEBLO THERE WERE SEVERAL THOUSAND. THE HOPI BELIEVE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE REMAIN AS SPIRITUAL GUARDIANS. STORIES ABOUT WAPATKI ARE PASSED AMONG MOST OF ARIZONA TRIBES AND THE ZUNI. THE HOPI CLANS RETURN NOW AND THEN TO ENRICH THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR CLAN HISTORY.

THERE ARE SEVERAL BLOWHOLES HERE WHERE AIR FLOWS IN AND OUT OF THE GROUND. MOST OF THE SITES ARE CALLED KAYENTA ANCESTRAL PUEBLOAN, OTHERS ARE COHONINA, AND SINAGUA. THERE IS A WAPUTKI SPRING 100 M FROM THE PUEBLO. TODAY IT IS DRY BUT IT PRODUCED 500 GALLONS PER DAY. THEY ALSO STORED RAIN WATER AND COLLECTED IT UNDER ROCK OVER HANGS AND MADE NATURAL RESERVOIR'S UNDER ROCK OVERHANGS AND MADE NATURAL RESERVOIR'S BEFORE RAINS. THE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT THE SAME AS IN PREHISTORIC TIMES. THEY HAD 8 INCHES OF RAIN PER SUMMER. THEY GREW 1/2 OF THEIR FOODS - CORN, BEANS, SQUASH AND GOURDS IN FIELDS AND GARDENS. THEY COLLECTED WILD SEEDS AND GRAINS AND SPRING GREENS. THEY HUNTED DEER, RABBITS, PRONGHORN, AND RODENTS. THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS FOUND POTTERY THICKLY LAYERED OVER THE GROUND. THIS AREA WAS A HOME TO NUMEROUS GROUPS OF PEOPLE OVER 1000'S OF YEARS. SOMEHOW AMIDST THE EXTREMES OF TEMPERATURES AND SCARCE WATER, THESE PEOPLE CREATED SELF SUSTAINING LIVES. THEY HAVE A WIDE VARIETY OF HABITATS FOR PLANTS AND ANIMALS. THE SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS JUST NORTH OF FLAGSTAFF WERE NAMED IN 1629 BY FRANCISCAN MISSIONARIES IN HONOR OF ST. FRANCISCO OF ASSISI.

WIKIPEDIA.COM