The Mystery Of The Anasazi Continued

Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas!

Ya know, when I was a kid we used to go to Arizona every year and visit a few of the Anasazi ruins. But back then it was always the same story..no one knew where they went, why they left, or what happened to them.

But actually we do know where they went. They moved to areas along the Rio Grande in New Mexico and Northern Arizona. They are the Zuni and Hopi tribes today.

And it's kind of funny because scientists, archaeologists and anthropologists have been trying to figure out why they left the homeland which they had known for thousands of years. Like I talked about in yesterday's post.

But it's not like people haven't always known why they left.

The mystery is no secret among tribal elders

No, the Hopi and Zuni people know. The oral traditions of passing down their history has never stopped. It's just the White Man who doesn't know. The "why" has been a closely guarded secret among tribal elders.

And I don't blame them for not disclosing information to the white man. Why should they? What has the white man ever done for them? lol.

And a side note:

If the pueblo dwellers of today are called the Hopi and Zuni, why are their ancestors called the Anasazi?

Well, according to the website indianpueblo.org, (written by pueblo Indians of course..Zuni and Hopi) the name Anasazi is a Navajo word which means "ancient enemy" and that may be a good way for the Navajo to refer to them, but not the Hopi and Zuni.

They hate that term, they say it's disrespectful. They want to be referred to as “Ancestral Pueblo” or “Ancestral Puebloan.” So out of respect I'll try to refer to the cliff dwellers by those terms.

Below is Canyon De Chelly. While not part of the Grand Canyon, it is still magnificent and home to the incredible White House Ruins left by Ancestral Puebloans. Canyon De Chelly is located on the Navajo Nation but is a national park.

You can hire a Navajo guide to take you to the ruins, about a 2.5 hour hike. I bet the great sir @nickyhavey, professional hiker, traveler and blogger extraordinaire will eventually make his way over here, this looks like his cup of tea!

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Remarkable preservation

One of the cool things about the remains of the cliff dwellings is that their positions under the ledges gave the structures protection and many are in almost perfect condition after 700 years.

Just recently one of the research teams visiting some of the very hard to reach homes (which no one sees because they're so hard to get to) found 700 year old ears of corn in perfect condition. Each dwelling had a granary for storing grain.

Check out this platform built into a crevice.

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It sits 30 feet above the little platform area with no way to get to it.

To built it they had to drill holes into the sides of the canyon and insert support beams and then cross those with other supports poles, then another layer of smaller wood and covered with mortar and mud for a smooth surface.

How did they bore holes in rock without modern equipment or steel?

No one knows how it was accessed or what it was used for. My guess is it was a lookout station. But it's in perfect condition.

Such excellent architects

Here's another example of one of their homes, the first photo is with the roof missing.

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And here's the same type of room with the roof built on it like it would have been in their day:

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The story of the Ancestral Puebloans continues tomorrow.

Thanks for reading folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy
Texas

PS- Everyday I've been posting a photo which supposedly represents each state, this is from a fun article I found on www.livingmgz.com.

Today's state is Connecticut and their state motto is: “He Who Transplanted Sustains." I don't mean to be disrespectful but what does that even mean? Does anyone understand that?

Anyone from Connecticut among my readers? Probably not. lol.
Ok well this is a pitiful photo to represent such a beautiful state but it IS kinda funny:

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I don't hang around marinas so I don't quite understand this thing either. If seagulls attack you, you can't throw rocks at them? Are they just charging you 50cents per rock(plus tax) if you want to throw rocks or is that a fine? lol.

God bless you guys, have a great weekend!