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SLEUTH DOG |
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 Spruce Tree House, a cliff dwelling, nestles inside a canyon wall. © David Muenker |
Spruce Tree House was built inside a natural cave - a deep, arched opening in the canyon wall. This type of home is called a cliff dwelling. In the 1200s, the Ancestral Pueblo people built hundreds of them in this region. The broken-down walls were rebuilt to show how archaeologists think the house looked at that time.
Sonya stepped onto the large courtyard. Wooden ladders poked up through square holes in the floor. Kivas!
 Visitors peer inside an open kiva. © David Muenker |
"These underground rooms were used for religious ceremonies - like a church or temple," he explained. "They were also used as work areas and for social get-togethers."
He pointed out the fire pit, the shaft that brought in fresh air, the bench along the circular wall and the pilasters that held up the wood roof.
There was a small hole in the center of the floor. "That's the sipapu," he said."It represents the opening through which they believed their ancestors entered the present world. Over there is a covered kiva. You can go inside that one.
Sonya leaped over to it, sniffed the ladder and peeked down the hole in the roof. It looked dark except for the beam of light pouring through the hole. She could see her shadow on the floor far below.
 Sonya explores a kiva. © Ravay Snow 2005 |
The air inside was still. The only sound was her breathing. She began to imagine Ancestral Pueblo people there with her. She heard them chanting for rain and a good harvest. She smelled the fire. She saw shadows dancing on the circular walls.
She felt safe, welcome and peaceful. Yes, this was a special place.
"How could they leave it? Something terrible must have happened!" she concluded as she climbed back up the ladder. "Maybe they had enemies. Maybe some other people invaded their land. Yes, that's the answer!"
Back on the courtyard, she overheard a guide talking to a group. "In recent years, many archaeologists have begun to believe that warfare caused Ancestral Pueblo people to evacuate this area."
"Oh," Sonya sighed. "I guess they already figured that out. Well, I'll just keep looking!"
 Ladders connected the courtyard to the kivas. © David Muenker |
She peeked through several doorways. Some were rectangular. Others were T-shaped. On the courtyard, she saw a stone formed like a rectangular pan.
"That's a metate," said a ranger. "The women put corn kernels in it. Then they would grind the corn into flour with a stone called a mano."
Sonya looked around the courtyard. There must have been a lot of activity here. Women ground corn and wove baskets. Men made stone tools. Children played.
"I wish I could have seen it then!" she woofed.
She didn't spot any more clues.
"There are a lot more cliff dwellings to search. Cliff Palace. Balcony House. Long House!"
And she bounded up the trail.
To be continued…
In the next issue, Sonya follows a strange animal into the burned forest.
Note: This story is fiction based on fact.
Go to Sonya's Picks for links to websites about the Ancestral Pueblo people.
See how many words you know on the Word Match.
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Photographs ©2005-2010 David Muenker. Text ©2005-2010 Rose Muenker. Illustrations ©2005-2010 Ravay Snow Any use without express written permission is illegal and punishable by law. All rights reserved. Site designed and developed by Josh Bergman. |
