Title: Nalakihu-Citadel Trail - Wupatki National Monument, Arizona
Author: Anonymous
Language: English
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                 15 CENTS IF YOU TAKE THIS BOOKLET HOME



                        _Nalakihu-Citadel Trail_


                       WUPATKI NATIONAL MONUMENT
                                ARIZONA

                                                       11th Ed.—4-76—12M

    [Illustration: _Nalakihu as seen from the south._]



                      NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS


Wupatki National Monument is one of nearly 300 areas administered by the
National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. These
include magnificent areas set aside for their scenic, scientific, and
historical values, and they belong to you and are a part of your
heritage as American citizens.

The National Park Service has the responsibility of preserving the Parks
and Monuments in their natural, unspoiled condition and of making them
available for your enjoyment in such a manner as to leave them
unimpaired for the enjoyment and inspiration of future generations. In
order to achieve this high purpose, such destructive activities as
woodcutting, hunting, grazing, mining and even flower-picking are
prohibited. We hope you will join us in protecting Wupatki National
Monument by taking only pictures and inspiration, and leaving only
footprints and goodwill.


                      HELP KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL



                        _Nalakihu-Citadel Trail_


This booklet will guide you through Nalakihu (nah-LAH-kee-hoo), the
small excavated surface pueblo near the parking area, and the Citadel,
the large fortified, unexcavated structure on top of the butte. The
trail is short and will lead you around to the rear of the Citadel,
passing a large limestone sink, and to the top of the butte, where you
may obtain a magnificent view of the surrounding country and see many
other ruins from this vantage point. Numbered stakes on the trail
correspond to numbered paragraphs in this leaflet, which will assist you
in your understanding of this area and its early people.

_We ask that you please keep off the ruin walls, and do not remove any
pottery fragments, rocks, plants or other material from the area. Thank
you._


1   This unexcavated, rectangular pithouse structure was of a type used
by some of the inhabitants of the area prior to A.D. 1125.

Surface masonry architecture was not adopted by this tribe
(archeologists call them the Sinagua—see-NAH-wah) until the early 1100s
at which time their neighbors to the north, a tribe which scientists
named the Anasazi (the Old People), introduced above-ground masonry
structures to this region.

    [Illustration: _Reconstruction of two types of pithouses found in
    this region. Note the two methods of roofing and the ventilator at
    right._]

    [Illustration: _Ground plan of Nalakihu._]


2   Nalakihu is a Hopi word meaning “Lone House” or “House Standing
Alone.” This pueblo had 10 rooms on the ground floor, 3 or 4 more rooms
which formed a second story, providing a home for about 25 to 30 people.

A charred roof beam of ponderosa pine, lying on the floor of the first
room, gave a tree-ring date of A.D. 1183, indicating that this little
pueblo was built in the late 1100s. Dates of 1192 and 1260 have been
obtained on wood from the Citadel above which would cause us to believe
that both pueblos were built at approximately the same time.

By observing how the walls of various rooms butt against each other we
can deduce that the rooms at the secondary doorway constitute the oldest
part of the pueblo, because these walls were erected at one time and the
other walls butt against them. When these three rooms constituted the
whole pueblo, it was probably a one-family house.

    [Illustration: _Three possible constructional stages through which
    Nalakihu may have passed. (Hatchways are omitted and drains are
    merely guesswork.)_]

    [Illustration: _Metate (or mealing grindstone) resting on collapsed
    roof material in Room 1. There is a mano, or handstone, in it._]

The three rooms in front of Nalakihu had no firepits and apparently were
used for storage. The same applies to rooms 5 and 7. The remaining rooms
had firepits and other features indicating they were dwelling rooms,
such as ventilators to bring in fresh air at floor level, deflectors to
keep draft of incoming air off firepits, and in room 4, loom holes to
anchor the lower horizontal bar of a vertical loom.

    [Illustration: _Arrangement of metates (grinding stones) found on
    floor of Room 1._]


3   (_Please enter inner room._) Roofs in Nalakihu had a main beam
spanning the room’s shorter axis, with the rafter poles crossing it.
Over these, narrow wooden shakes and sometimes stone slabs supported
another layer of reeds, branches, bark, or grass, and 3 or 4 inches (7.5
or 10 cm) of clay. Two collapsed roofs were found in each of four rooms
so we know a second story once existed over the central portion of the
pueblo.

Note the T-shaped doorway through which you passed and also the
occasional lines of black volcanic rock in the walls which probably were
not for decoration because some courses in the building were covered
with plaster.

    [Illustration: _Cross-sections of various pits near Nalakihu._]


4   You are now standing on the upper of two terraces. Exactly what they
were used for we are not sure, but they may have been “kitchen gardens”
similar to those in use today in some of the Hopi villages.

Below the terraces to the right of Nalakihu, archeologists discovered an
unusual group of 6 burials and 16 storage, roasting or burial pits. Most
of the pits were jar-shaped, some had vertical sides, and there were two
pit ovens with flues, sort of teapot-shaped, with the spout actually
being the flue. Three of the six burials were those of infants in
shallow pits, some lined with stone slabs. Only a bowl or a few sherds
(pieces of broken pottery) were placed with them for grave offerings.
These pits have been backfilled and are not visible today.

    [Illustration: _Archeologists work carefully to uncover a portion of
    collapsed roof._]

    [Illustration: _Pits 9 and 10 in which a few sherds, and bones of
    common raven, bighorn, and mule deer were found._]

    [Illustration: _Rocks standing on edge in Citadel Ruin are the
    remains of walls that collapsed intact._]

The Sinagua buried their dead with the body extended full length while
the Anasazi buried them in a flexed position with the knees drawn up
toward the chest.

The people who used these pits may have attached religious significance
to owls, for only owl bones were found here. Winona Ruins south of here
along U. S. Highway 66 produced only hawk bones.


                      _Please stay on the trail._


5   You are standing in a circular ring of volcanic rock outlining a
room. On the slopes of Citadel Butte are several similar round or
rectangular outlines, none of which have been excavated. There is
another just above you, and several below.


6   The structure above is a fortified pueblo built on a small remnant
butte of volcanic origin. Note the loop holes. Through the higher of
these openings defensive warriors could shoot with bow and arrow. The
lower ones at floor level were air vents.

The black rock around you is basalt, formed by the cooling of molten
lava. Its color is due to the presence of iron minerals.


7   The valley below was the farming area used by the early inhabitants
of not only the Citadel and Nalakihu, but of many other villages, the
ruins of which you may observe on the surrounding mesas. How many can
you count? There are at least eight visible.

    [Illustration: _The Citadel, as seen from the west._]


8   Note the way the walls of the Citadel follow the outline of the
volcanic cliff upon which the structure is built. Again the loop holes
are quite evident. The structure was probably two stories high on this
side, which exhibits the best example of the masonry at this site.

    [Illustration: _Citadel Sink with the San Francisco Peaks in the
    background, as seen from Citadel Ruin._]


9   This limestone sink in the foreground was formed when the roof of a
cavern in the Kaibab Limestone collapsed, probably plugging the outlet
and allowing a pond to form. There is another sink 2 miles (3.2 km) to
the south, and ruins are clustered around its edge also. The thick
Kaibab Limestone forms the greatest portion of the walls of the
sinkhole. It is stained by seepage from the overlying red Moenkopi
Sandstone, a thin layer of which can be seen at the base of the black
lava which forms the surface.


10   You are now entering the Citadel by an entrance utilized by the
Indians of yesteryear. Note the loop hole guarding this entrance.

    [Illustration: _Ground plan of the visible walls of the unexcavated
    Citadel._]


11   This ruin has never been excavated. It might tell a story of
peaceful farming people finding it necessary to defend themselves from
neighboring tribes. Around the depression in the middle there is space
for an estimated 30 rooms; the outlines of some can readily be seen.
Approximately 50-60 persons probably lived in this village.

    [Illustration: _Pottery from cremation burials, a mug, pitcher, and
    a ladle._]

Most of the broken pottery found on the Citadel’s slopes is of the type
made by the Anasazi, a prehistoric tribe which once lived to the north
of here. Nalakihu’s pottery, however, was only one-third Anasazi, the
other two-thirds being of the Sinagua and Prescott tribes. The latter
lived to the south and west. Different people who were drawn to this
region by the good farmlands created by the cinder cover that fell with
the eruption of Sunset Crater in A.D. 1065, lived together as neighbors
in this region, thus accounting for the different types of pottery in
the ruins.

    [Illustration: _Black-on-white pitcher and bowl funeral offerings._]

    [Illustration: _Clay pot lid, showing imprints of beans and corn
    husks._]


12   Almost all of the dwellings were occupied for only a short period.
When the winds finally duned up the black cinders and blew them off into
the arroyos and the springs dried up, the people had to move to a more
productive location to grow their crops. We believe that the Anasazi
moved north into the Tsegi Canyon country while the Sinagua moved south
into the Verde Valley and east to Chavez Pass near Winslow by the middle
1200s.


                       _Every litter bit hurts!_


13   You can see why the early people utilized this vantage point for
the construction of a fortified pueblo. Today, we can thank them for a
magnificent view of the surrounding country. In the distance can be seen
the San Francisco Peaks, O’Leary Peak, Sunset Crater, Painted Desert,
Gray Mountain, and numerous volcanic cones, remnants of the San
Francisco volcanic field, over 2 million years old.

The structures you see from this point represent only a few of the more
than 800 sites found within Wupatki National Monument. The largest ruin
in this area is Wupatki ruin, 9 miles (14.5 km) to the southeast.
Wupatki, which has been excavated, housed about 250 persons during its
period of occupation. A visit to Wupatki is well worth your while.


14   We hope you have enjoyed this trail. _Please Return This Booklet to
the Register Stand Before You Go, or You Can Purchase It by Dropping 15
Cents in the Coin Slot._



                          GENERAL INFORMATION


Sunset Crater is the most recent volcano among the 400 in the Flagstaff
region, and is located 18 miles (29 km) south of here. It is one of the
few prehistoric volcanoes in the world that we can accurately date
(another being Mt. Mazama, where now is Crater Lake, Oregon), and one of
the few that had such a pronounced effect upon people living in the
area. When it erupted it covered almost 800 square miles (2080 sq km)
including the Wupatki area, with fine black volcanic ash. This eruption
took place _before_ the masonry pueblos in this region were built.

When the eruption was over, a few individuals probably returned to this
area and found, to their surprise and pleasure, they were able to mature
crops in locations where they hadn’t been able to farm before. The thin
layer of volcanic ash acted as a moisture-retaining mulch; the people
could plant their seeds in the underlying soil and the cinder cover
would hold enough moisture to insure them a good harvest.

When this word spread around, it created a great land rush, the only one
we know of in the Southwest. Large numbers of Indians from all over this
part of the Southwest swarmed into the region of the cinder fall to take
advantage of the new farming land. The Hohokam came from the south, the
Mogollon from the southeast and the Anasazi from the north.

The main concentration took place between A.D. 1100 and 1200, and during
that time the area between the San Francisco Mountains and the Little
Colorado River was inhabited by perhaps 8,000 Indians.

The abandonment of the area is as interesting as the occupation.
Tree-ring evidence indicates that from about A.D. 1215 to 1300 there was
a long drought of varying intensity which culminated in the great
drought of 1276-1299. Winds accompanying the drought turned the area
into a dust bowl, moving away the moisture-retaining cover of cinders
that the people had depended upon for their farming. The people left as
farming acreage decreased.

The Anasazi element apparently moved north or east into the Tsegi Canyon
or Hopi country, while the Sinagua moved south into the Verde Valley and
east to the Chavez Pass region near Winslow. By the mid-1200s Wupatki
probably was completely abandoned.


          The National Park Service invites you to come again!



                       CONSERVATION—YOU CAN HELP


If you are interested in the work of the National Park Service, and in
the cause of conservation in general, you can give active expression of
this interest, and lend support by alining yourself with one of the
numerous conservation organizations which act as spokesmen for those who
wish our scenic and historic heritage to be kept unimpaired for the
enjoyment of future generations.

Names and addresses of conservation organizations may be obtained from
the ranger.



                     ADDITIONAL POINTS OF INTEREST


This region is one of the most interesting archeological and scenic
localities in the United States. Sunset Crater National Monument is 18
miles (29 km) to the south of Wupatki National Monument, and was the
source of the black volcanic ash which had such profound effect on the
prehistoric farmers. Twenty-one miles (34 km) farther to the south is
Walnut Canyon National Monument, a beautiful canyon and rim setting for
hundreds of ruined homes of prehistoric Indians who also were influenced
by Sunset Crater’s ash. Farther to the south, in the Verde Valley (noted
as Great Drought refuge areas) are Tuzigoot and Montezuma Castle
National Monuments (the latter including Montezuma Well).


    This booklet is published in cooperation with the National Park
                             Service by the
               SOUTHWEST PARKS AND MONUMENTS ASSOCIATION

   _A non-profit publishing and distributing organization supporting
 historical, scientific and educational activities of the National Park
                               Service._

   We recommend the following items for additional information on the
                               Southwest:

YOUR NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM IN THE SOUTHWEST, IN WORDS AND COLOR. Jackson.
500 word articles on each National Park Service area in the huge
Southwest region, with full-color photograph for each of 66 areas
listed. Most authoritative treatment possible, with every text checked
for accuracy by each area’s superintendent. Revised and enlarged, 1976.
Also contains “How to Get There” appendix. 76 pages, 69 full color
illustrations, color cover, paper.

100 DESERT WILDFLOWERS IN NATURAL COLOR. Dodge. Descriptions and
full-color portraits of 100 of the most interesting desert wildflowers.
Photographic hints. 64 pp., full-color cover, paper.

100 ROADSIDE WILDFLOWERS OF SOUTHWEST UPLANDS IN NATURAL COLOR. Dodge.
Companion book to author’s “100 Desert Wildflowers in Natural Color,”
but for higher elevation flowers. 64 pages and full-color cover, paper.

FLOWERS OF THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS. Dodge and Janish. More than 140 of the
most interesting and common desert plants beautifully drawn in 100
plates, with descriptive text. 112 pp., 4 page colored center-fold,
color cover, paper.

FLOWERS OF THE SOUTHWEST MESAS. Patraw and Janish. Companion volume to
the Desert flowers booklet, but covering the plants of the plateau
country of the Southwest. 112 pp., color cover, paper.

FLOWERS OF THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS. Arnberger and Janish. Descriptions
and illustrations of plants and trees of the southern Rocky Mountains
and other Southwestern ranges above 7,000 feet elevation. 112 pp., plus
4-color centerfold, color cover, paper.

MAMMALS OF THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS. Olin and Cannon. Handsome
illustrations, full descriptions, and life habits of the 42 most
interesting and common mammals of the Southwest desert country below
4,500 feet elevation. 116 pp., 60 illustrations, 4 page colored
center-fold, color cover, paper.

MAMMALS OF SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS AND MESAS. Olin and Bierly. Companion
volume to “Mammals of Southwest Deserts.” Fully illustrated in
exquisitely done line and scratchboard drawings, and written in Olin’s
masterfully lucid style. Gives description, range, and life habits of
the better known Southwestern mammals of the uplands. Color cover, paper
or cloth.

POISONOUS DWELLERS OF THE DESERT. Dodge. Invaluable handbook for any
person living in the desert. Tells the facts about dangerous insects,
snakes, etc., giving treatment for bites and stings and dispels myths
about harmless creatures mistakenly believed poisonous. Revised, 1974,
48 pp.

    [Illustration: SPMA trademark; NPS shield]

                           Write For Catalog

               SOUTHWEST PARKS AND MONUMENTS ASSOCIATION

                     Box 1562—Globe, Arizona 85501
                         339 South Broad Street



                          Transcriber’s Notes


—Silently corrected a few typos.

—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook
  is public-domain in the country of publication.

—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by
  _underscores_.





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