Wupatki National Monument is one of several sites preserving pueblos (houses) of ancient peoples, but unlike the Tonto,
Montezuma,
Casa Grande Ruins and
Tuzigoot
Monuments where there is only one main building, here there are many ruins scattered over a large area of desert northeast of Flagstaff. The pueblos all have a distinctive red color and were made from the local Moenkopi sandstone. Wupatki is reached by the same loop road that passes the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, adjoining the main north-south route US 89 - there is a single admission charge (just $5 per car in 2004) for both parks.
History: In total there are more than 800 identified ruins spread around many miles of desert within Wupatki National Monument, but five of the largest are close to the main road. All the houses were inhabited by the Anasazi and Sinagua Indians during the 12th and 13th centuries - the settlement of this region was influenced by the eruption of nearby Sunset Volcano during the winter of 1064-5, as the resulting ash and lava made the surrounding land infertile and so the residents of that area moved further afield into land previously considered too dry and barren. In the early 13th century all the pueblos were abandoned, as were most other settlements in this part of the Southwest, although it is believed that the present day Hopi are descended from the former inhabitants of this region.
Wupatki Pueblo: The Wupatki area is 2,000 feet lower than the volcano so the vegetation is quite different - the loop road descends quite quickly through fir and pine trees, to the arid scrub-covered desert. The biggest ruins are the 3-storey Wupatki pueblo (Hopi for 'big house') that was once the home of 300 people. The house is situated on the edge of a small plateau and has unobstructed views eastwards towards the Painted Desert and the Little Colorado River. The ruins are reached by a short, paved self-guided trail starting at the visitor center. A leaflet is available explaining the various points of interest; apart from the main building, these include a masonry ballpark - a recreational feature usually only found much further south, and a natural blowhole. This is a vent of unknown depth linked to underground caves which either blows out or sucks in air, depending on the ambient pressure.
Lomaki Pueblo: The other four main ruins in Wupatki National Monument are also accessible by short trails; another impressive site is the Lomaki pueblo, towards the north end of the park road. It is built right on the edge of a little canyon, which was probably formed by faulting or other volcanic activity, and has a good view of the San Francisco Mountains to the west. Several smaller ruins may be visited along the same trail.
Wupatki Map:
 PDF format map of Wupatki National Monument, from the National Park Service (64 kb).
Hotels: The nearest town with hotels close to Wupatki National Monument is Flagstaff.
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Wupatki - Nearby Places
Grand Canyon (51 miles) - world-famous National Park |
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