The red sandstone prehistoric pueblos of Wupatki, gleaming against a
background of black basaltic cliffs and facing a view of the Painted
Desert of the Little Colorado River, were built by groups of farming
Indians, ancestors of the picturesque Hopis. More than 800 home sites
have been discovered in the monument, varying from the pits of ancient
earth lodges to house structures three stories high. Studies of ancient
wooden beams in the ruins have dated the major occupation as occurring
during the eleventh and twelfth centuries.
These abundant prehistoric ruins constitute the tangible and colorful
remains of an eleventh-century Indian “land rush” that resulted from the
earlier eruption of Sunset Crater, a nearby volcano.
Coming from several directions and bringing different customs and
habits, the various tribes met and mixed, though remaining in large part
distinct groups, forming a local cultural pattern differentiated from
its contemporaries in other sections of the prehistoric American
Southwest.
The many ruins in Wupatki National Monument are in an unusual state of
preservation. The most accessible are the Citadel and Wupatki, located 5
and 14 miles, respectively, from U. S. Highway 89.