Hohokam.  Anasazi.  Mogollon.  Salado.  Sinagua.  These are the vanished ones, the Native Americans who inhabited the Southwest hundreds of years ago, leaving traces of their passing all over the region.  These cultures developed complex cliff dwellings and built majestic pueblos which still stand, but we have almost no idea why they were abandoned.

    I may add more extensive histories and descriptions of these sites in the future, but for now, I hope these photos suffice.  Some of these photos appear elsewhere on my site, but for the most part I have tried to move photos here rather than duplicate myself.

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

    The Mogollon people inhabited these caves overlooking a streambed near the Gila River over 700 years ago.  The dwellings still stand and are beautiful in their complexity.  This park may be at the end of a long road from Silver City, New Mexico, but the dwellings are worth the trip.  Photographed January and April 2003.
 
 

Wupatki National Monument

    Wupatki National Monument lies at the crossroads of the Sinagua, Cohonina, and Kayenta Anasazi cultures, and the different ruins protected here reflect the blending of duifferent cultures.  In 1064, a nearby volcano erupted, showering the area with cinders.  The area around Wupatki was temporarily abandoned, but when the eruptions ceased, the inhabitants moved back in to find the soil absorbed more moisture and therefore was better for growing crops.  The pueblos at Wupatki were occupied until around 1250 A.D.

    Although the park contains hundreds of pueblos, only five sets of ruins are open to the public year-round: Lomaki OPueblo and the Box Canyon dwellings; Nalakihu Pueblo; Citadel Pueblo; Wupatki Pueblo; and Wukoki Pueblo.  Another ruin, the Crack-in-the-Rock dwelling, is open only to a select few hikers during limited, unpublicized overnight hiking tours.  During the day, the sidewalks around the ruins fill up, but at sunrise, you're likely to have the park all to yourself, even on summer weekend mornings.  Last visited August 2003.
 

Wupatki Pueblo
	Wukoki Pueblo
Box Canyon dwellings	Lomaki Pueblo
Unnamed pueblo

Walnut Canyon National Monument

    East of Flagstaff, a myriad of Sinaguan cliff dwellings are hidden below the rim of Walnut Canyon. These cliff dwellings were built from 1125 to 1250 A.D.  Unfortunately, many ruins were all too accessible to tourists and treasure seekers; several were dynamited open for souvenirs.  Thankfully, many ruins are closed to the public and can only be viewed from across the canyon today.  If you plan to visit, I recommend an early morning during the week in the off-season; because of its proximity to Flagstaff and the easy access to many dwellings, this park fills up fast.  Photographed August 2003.
 
 

Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments

    The cliff dwellings at Montezuma Castle and the nearby Tuzigoot Pueblo uilt around 1150 A.D. by Sinagua Indians, Montezuma Castle was continuously improved level by level until it reached its current size.  The Sinaguans used Montezuma Well, a nearby limestone sink, to irrigate crops with a series of canals.  The ruins were abandoned in the 1400s. After the Grand Canyon and Wupatki, pretty anticlimactic; the ruins are impressive but the inaccessibility ruins the effect for me.  Montezuma Castle photographed July 2002; Tuzigoot photographed August 2003..
 
 

Montezuma Castle		Tuzigoot

Honanki Cliff Dwellings

    Honanki and its sister site, Palatki, lie in the Coconino National Forest west of Sedona, Arizona.  Both dwellings were built by Sinaguan Indians around 1150 to 1300 A.D.  While Palatki contains a wealth of rock art, the cliff dwellings at Honanki are much better preserved.  Visited May 2003.
 
 

Tonto National Monument

    The cliff dwellings at Tonto were built around 1300 A.D. by Salado Indians, who remained until around 1150 to 1450 A.D.  Like most other archaic Southwestern sites, few clues remain as to why the dwellings were abandoned.  If the Salado returned today, they would be surprised by the changed view from the cliffs; Roosevelt Dam, built in 1906, created a large reservoir in the Tonto Basin below the park.

    There are two main ruins at Tonto, the aptly-named Upper and Lower Cliff Dwellings.  Although the Lower Cliff Dwellings are open all year, the Upper Cliff Dwellings are closed from April to October; the combination of a steep hike and the hot summer heat tend to overwhelm visitors.  Like Wupatki, this park protects more ruins that are off-limits.  Although this park is close to Phoenix, it's a bit off the beaten path; I had it mostly to myself on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  Photographed August 2003.
 
 

Turkey Creek Cliff Dwelling

    This remarkably intact Salado structure is located at the east end of Aravaipa Canyon, near Safford, Arizona.  Photographed April 2003.