Coconino County

Above the western banks of the Little Colorado River stands several ruins of Native American villages; the largest of which is called Wupatki. The area was settled by several ancient Native American peoples: the Sinagua whose name is derived from the Spanish for "without water" because of their ability to farm and subsist with little water, the Cohonina, and the Anasazi. These people came to this part of the world because the land was covered in ash from the nearby volcanic activity at nearby Sunset Crater. The ash helped to trap some of what little moisture fell in the desert of northern Arizona.

Eventually these people moved on leaving their homes and various items inside behind. However, these people have not disappeared. Their descendants are the Hopi, Zuni, and Navajo of northeast Arizona and northwest New Mexico.

Here are some pictures of several of their villages that are now protected as part of the Wupatki National Monument which I visited in the summer of 2002.

©2004 Michael A. Brunke
<brunke@atmo.arizona.edu>