Above the Painted Desert in Arizona: Wupatki National Monument

Lomaki means "Beautiful House" in the Hopi language. This building has nine rooms built with local limestone and sandstone in the last decade of the 1100s. NPS

Travelers to Arizona have a lot to see and do when it comes to nature, history, culture, and the great outdoors. Wupatki National Monument is one of the wonders of northern Arizona. The monument marks a settlement of scattered sites built by the Sinagua nation over 900 years ago when this part of Arizona was much cooler.The central attraction of this national monument is the Wupatki Pueblo, which is an impressive multi-story building with over 100 rooms that look out over the more famous Painted Desert.

Wupatki, which means “Long Cut House” in the Hopi language, has several unique features. The Wupatli Pueblo has a geologic anomaly called a blowhole, or a natural vent from which air flows in and out through the ground. Other unique features include two above-ground kivas (community houses) and a large Hohokam-style ball court, where ball games and social events were held. Ball courts were common in southern Arizona from 750 A.D. to 1200 A.D., but the Wupatki court is the northernmost example discovered so far.

Points of Culture and History

After the nearby Sunset Crater Volcano erupted around 1065 A.D., people began gathering at the site of Wupatki. The ash fall from the volcanic event made the once bone-dry area able to retain water much better. Good growing conditions drew people from all over the region. These migrants joined the Sinagua people already living in the area. They began constructing buildings from natural materials like sandstone slabs, limestone blocks, and basalt set with clay-based mortar. Archaeologists believe that by around 1182, a population of nearly 100 lived in this pueblo. In addition, several thousand others lived in smaller pueblos and mud brick houses a day’s walk from the pueblo, which was the largest for more than 50 miles in any direction.

There is evidence that people have lived in the Citadel area of Wupatki, Arizona, since the Archaic period, from 8,000 to 500 B.C. (NPS)

The people of Wupatki practiced hunter-gatherer subsistence, but agriculture was their primary source of support and commerce. The early settlers chose this area because, even though the land was blanketed with cinders from the volcano event, those cinders could hold water and were beneficial for agriculture. The community’s inhabitants also benefited from being at the crossroads of other tribes and cultures. Before long, these Western Anasazi grew corn, beans, squash, and cotton and traded agricultural goods for exotic items like turquoise, ornate seashell jewelry, copper bells, and even parrots.

By 1200 A.D., the people began abandoning their dwellings at Wupatki Pueblo due to an extended drought. Researchers found large numbers of bodies in one room of the Wupatki Pueblo, suggesting internal conflict and disease also contributed to the desertion of the area. By 1300 A.D., almost all of the inhabitants had left, probably migrating to the Hopi mesas and perhaps the Verde Valley, looking to rebuild the prosperous lives they once had.

After the last person left the pueblo, the buildings withstood 700 years of harsh weather, vandalism, and disinterest. Today, the site holds special significance for several extant tribes. For instance, the Hopi people believe that the dead of Wupatki still look out over the sacred place as spiritual guardians. Stories are still passed among the Hopi, Navajo, Zuni, and other clans that still care for the area. Through oral storytelling tradition, the Hopi and Zuni use stories, songs, ceremonies, and even prayers to preserve their culture to this day.

Main Points of Interest

Wupatki National Monument occupies an area of about 56 square miles on the southwestern Colorado Plateau. Lying just west of the Little Colorado River, it’s a beautiful, awe-inspiring, and mysterious landscape in the shadow of Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.

Taking in both Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater Monument goes without saying since the two are in such proximity. A driving tour of both sites should take you about two hours. If you decide to walk the trails to and from the visitor center, you should allow about four hours.

The first stop in your experience should be the visitor center. Behind it, you can begin a self-guided tour of Wupatki Pueblo. Lomaki Pueblo (Beautiful House in Hopi) is a half-mile off the main loop road. This fascinating building has nine rooms constructed of local stone and was walled in plaster, though none of the original coating remains. Next to the road, you’ll find the Citadel and Nalakihu pueblos. These two 900-year-old ancestral Puebloan dwellings have over 50 rooms combined.

A dual rainbow after a rain over the Painted Desert, Arizona. NPS

During Archaeology Week at Wupatki National Monument, Arizona, kids learn about ancient technology to better understand our connections to these ancient people. NPS

Another spur road of about 2 1/2 miles leads to Wukoki Pueblo. This site is one of the best-preserved prehistoric structures in the park. It is also the work of skilled artisans, according to the archaeologist Jesse Walter Fewkes, who excavated there in the late 1800s. Discoveries of fine jewelry and pottery, combined with the advanced architecture, suggest the status of the family that once lived here.

Wupatki National Monument also offers an array of educational experiences, such as guided hikes during the cooler months and various kids’ programs. These hikes range from moderate to strenuous in difficulty and can last from a couple of hours to two days.

Nature

Wupatki National Monument sits in a corner of the Great Basin Desert or Navajoan Desert. The desert climate is challenging for indigenous animals, plants, and visitors. Some of the wildlife you’ll run into includes coyotes, pronghorn antelope, mule deer, jackrabbits, cottontail rabbits, antelope, ground squirrels, reptiles, and birds.

The vast open space of the monument area looks barren to the first-time visitor, but many plants have adapted to the harsh, arid conditions of the park. Gray-green foliage absorbs less heat than its greener cousins in wetter environments. And some of the leaves of the plants are smaller to avoid losing excess water. In addition, desert plants have extensive, shallow root systems that can absorb what rainfall there is very quickly. Small shrubs dominate the landscape, but some evergreen species, like the one-seed juniper, also dot the landscape. Wupatki also has a fantastic collection of annual and perennial plants and wildflowers.

A rare look at an elusive bobcat at Wupatki, Arizona. (NPS)

The desert spiny lizard, or Sceloporus magister, is one of many colorful reptile residents at Wupatki, Arizona. (NPS)

Silverleaf nightshade, or Solanum elaeagnifolium, in bloom at Wupatki, Arizona. NPS

Wupatki National Monument offers visitors unparalleled vistas of desert grasslands, mesas, buttes, and volcanic hills set against the backdrop of the San Francisco Peaks. From this single vantage point, you can view unique geological features, forests, cinder cones, lava flows, and the famous Painted Desert. The park sits within a surrealistic landscape where extremes are the norm. For instance, elevation and climate vary significantly in the area. Rainfall can vary from almost none to 7 inches annually, and temperatures can range from -4 to 105 degrees F.

If You Go

Getting There: To get to the park, take U.S. Highway 89 to FR-545, a loop road connecting Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments.

Entry Fees: The Wupatki National Monument is open daily from sunrise until sunset, except for selected holidays. The fee of $25 for each vehicle covers entry to both Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments. Motorcycles may enter for $20.00, and the entry fee for bicyclists and pedestrians is $15.00. Annual passes are also available.

To Stay: The U.S. Forest Service operates Bonito Campground near Sunset Crater for those interested in camping.

For More Information: To contact the park, call 928-679-2365 or 928-856-1705 or connect with the rangers on Facebook.