Is it a coincidence that these Native Americans abandoned their dwellings about the time of the last eruptions in the Sunset Crater complex (see previous page)? That would be in the latter half of the 13th century.

They eked out a living farming here from 600 to about 1064 or 1065 when 20 miles away the Sunset Crater field began spewing ash everywhere, causing people to flee the area. But, people came back.

About 50 years later they came back in large numbers because they found the volcanic ash (actually not ash at all, but a rock-powder) on their soil was acting like a mulch, helping to reduce evaporation and allowing crops to grow better. So for a hundred years there were prosperous farming communities springing up all over this valley. Then came the 13th century, and like the Anasazi all over the southwest, villages were abandoned and people migrated to the north and the south.

Was it the later volcanic eruptions that caused the migration? I am sure they didn't help at all, but it seems that this was a time of migration all over the region, not just in this one valley.

The pictures will have to just give an indication of the density of the population in this grassland valley, I did not take notes to go along with each photo.

This could be me standing by a cliff-dwelling, of which there were a few in the general area:.

Some tree branches, rocks and mud-based mortar were used to show how these people improved on a rock shelter:

I found the little compact villages to be more interesting, however, so here are a few examples. The next four pictures are of the same village:

I can see that this next two photos are of the Lomaki village ruins:

We are never far away from those San Francisco Peaks!

This is very pleasant country to visit with some food and water with you in your air conditioned car. It would be difficult to live here and try to grow and hunt your own food. The natives here were called the Sinagua by the Spanish explorers because the area around the San Franciscos is largely dry, desert, "without water" or "sin agua." That gives an indication of the challenge faced by people living here. It is postulated that rainfall was scarce in the later 13th century, hence all the migrations. It is speculation, sure, but has some basis in the traditions of the native peoples, like the Hopi, who point to the people of this valley as part of their ancestry.

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