Villages were developed throughout the cinder-covered area. One of the
most important and longest inhabited of these was a ruin which is now
called Wupatki—a Hopi Indian word for “Tall House.” Here was a spring,
one of the few in this arid region.
Wupatki is one of the most spectacular pueblos in northern Arizona. Its
sandstone walls rise from a sandstone spur at the base of a black lava
mesa that overlooks the Painted Desert. From an insignificant pueblo of
a few rooms, Wupatki grew until it became the largest in the region.
During the 1100’s it contained more than 100 rooms, was in places at
least three stories high, and had an estimated population of from 150 to
200 persons. To one side of the ruin, protected from the prevailing
winds, was an open-air amphitheater which apparently was used for public
ceremonies. In the valley below is a “ball court,” the only
stone-masonry one that has been discovered in the Southwest. Little is
known of the game itself, but it was very popular in southern Arizona
and was brought up by migrants from that region. Wupatki was partially
excavated and a few of the rooms restored by the Museum of Northern
Arizona in cooperation with the National Park Service in 1933-34.
[Illustration: The Wupatki ruin]
Around the Citadel was another concentration of prehistoric Indians.
Within a square mile there are more than 100 sites, varying in size from
earth lodges to the larger pueblos. The Citadel itself, as yet
unexcavated, is a fortified apartment house. Probably it was once two
stories high and contained nearly 50 rooms. Its impregnable position on
top of a small lava-capped mesa, overlooking a wide expanse of country,
suggests that it served as a retreat during times of stress. Numerous
loop-holes through the thick walls strengthen this impression. On the
terraced slopes of the mesa are circles of boulders, the remains of more
temporary homes. It is possible that the Citadel was built to guard a
water supply that existed in the nearby limestone sinkhole.
Just below the Citadel is the small pueblo now called Nalakihu, a Hopi
word for “House Standing Alone.” It, like Wupatki, was excavated and
partially restored in 1934.
Other outstanding ruins in the monument are Wukoki ruin, another
fortified apartment house; and Crack-in-the-Rock ruin near the Little
Colorado River. To reach these more inaccessible ruins, it is necessary
to make arrangements with the custodian in Wupatki ruin.