Desert Messenger

12 www.DesertMessenger.com September 2, 2015 Looking out at the landscape sur- rounding Flagstaff the scenery is a mix of pine, fi r, spruce and aspen, with a dry and porous soil composed mostly of lava cinders and ash. Wildfl owers, grasses, and small cac- ti poke up through the rocky ground. Mountains of cinder cones rise up from the red Moenkopi sandstone of the Colorado Plateau and out- croppings of basalt create streaks of black across the panorama. This is the landscape of the San Francisco Volcanic Field, which covers just over 3000 square miles, and lies on the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau. It extends east- ward in an irregular belt from Wil- liams, AZ to just east of Flagstaff. Volcanic activity in this area began By Jenn Jedidiah Free for RocksInMyHead™ Volcanoes, Red Rocks & Old Stone Buildings deep underground about 6 million years ago, and remained largely subterranean until about 1000 years ago when lava fl ows and eruptions began. The Sinagua people, ances- tors of the Puebloans of the Four Corners inhabited the forests of this area living in pit houses, hunting, gathering, and cultivating corn in an arid landscape. The Hopi refer to these people as Hisatsinom, or "those who lived long ago", and it was these people whose lives were dramatically disrupted by the erup- tions and fl ows of the San Francisco Volcanic Field. Cinder cones grew up around the re- gion, spewing cinders and ash across the landscape. Lava fl ows oozed across the land. Cinders and ash coated the soil. The Sinagua people witnessed these dramatic events, and stories of these eruptions are embedded into the oral traditions of the modern day Hopi people. Sunset Crater near Flagstaff, and the lands around it, are still today considered sacred to many of the Pueblo people. The eruptions drastically altered the Sinagua homeland. Agricul- tural land immediately surrounding the volcanoes and cinder cones was covered with a thick layer of cinder and ash rendering it unsuitable for farming. Enormous chunks of ba- salt fl owed across the land build- ing bluffs, buttes, and craggy ridges throughout the once gentle land- scape, and pushing boulders out ahead of it. The lands immediately around the volcano we know today as Sunset Crater were no longer in- habitable by the Sinagua. But further from the Sunset Cra- ter Vent, the ash layer was thinner. Here, the ash layer acted as a water- retaining mulch, greatly enhancing the soil and establishing a rich envi- ronment for agriculture, especially the staples of maize and squash. It was to this place, 21 miles from today's bustling metropolis of Flag- staff, where a couple thousand Si- nagua People relocated. Here they joined other Hopi groups and built elaborate multi-story pueblos that rise up out of the red Moenkopi sandstone like sentinels across the landscape. Some of these brick- and-mortar multi-story buildings were built out of outcroppings, while others were enormous free- standing structures. This amazing site is known today as Wupatki, which means "Tall House" in the Hopi language. This starkly beautiful ruin contains over 33 red sandstone block structures spread across more than 35,000 acres of red rock desert. The largest of Wu- patki's structures is built around a natural outcropping, is four stories high, has over 100 rooms, a ballcourt, an amphitheatre, and a "courtyard" surrounding a natural vent called a blowhole, which blows air up from an underground thermal chamber. The wind speed at the mouth of the blowhole can reach up to 30 miles per hour. Natural springs and other water sources were rare in Wupatki, so the Sinagua, whose very name means "without water", harvested and stored rainwater. The remains of several "tanks" for water collec- tion and storage can be seen within some of the larger structures. Toward the end of the 13th centu- ry, the climate began to shift back to cooler temperatures and less precipitation. The strong desert winds had blown away much of the protective cinder layer to expose and erode the rich ash and soil lay- ers underneath, rendering it once again unfi t for agriculture. The precious few springs that existed in the land were clogged or eventually covered over by blowing ash and cinders. The Sinagua abandoned their luxurious dwellings in search of new lands. Today, the spectacular pueblos of Wupatki stand majestically in the shadow of Sunset Crater, strik- ing reminders of a vibrant and thriving community. As we stand amongst elegant pueblos that merge seamlessly with the under- lying Moenkopi rock, we can only imagine the Sinagua sadly, loving- ly, looking back at their beautiful homes as they left for newer terri- tories. Wukoki, a dramatic three story sentinel on an isolated mesa; Lomaki, built in a box canyon; and the Citadel, a massive pueblo atop a hill; and the magnifi cent 100 room Wupatki are all just remnants of their former glory. But today, if you linger and listen, their walls still whisper the stories and songs of those who lived long ago. If you are heading back to Quartzsite from the east, be sure to stop at Wu- patki and Sunset Crater as you arrive near Flagstaff. Both can be visited in the same day, though, it is best to allow at least two days to explore this breathtaking place. Rock- sInMyHead is on the road through September. We will be open in Quartzsite at A37 in Rice Ranch at the end of October. We carry a very nice selection of Native American artifacts, as well as rocks, miner- als, and fossils, plus everything you need for rockhounding, prospect- ing, lapidary, and more, at RocksIn- MyHead. You can visit us online at www.RocksInMyHead.com or order by email or over the phone at 605- 376-8754. And don't forget to sign up for our Awesome New Email Newsletter for tons of demos, tuto- rials, tips, info, special deals, and so much more! Sign up today at www. RocksInMyHeadWorld.com. ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS 431 E. Main Street, Quartzsite 928-927-7900 QuartzsiteChiro.com Jennifer Maltby, D.C. Open Year-Round New hours: Mon. and Thurs. 9am-2pm Chiropractic Care Now Open in Quartzsite! RJK CONSTRUCTION • No Job Too Small • Commercial • Residential • Remodeling LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED Call Roy and Bob 928-345-5616 AZ License #13-1743 (Not a licensed contractor)

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