Wupatki National Monument

Wupatki, Long Cut House in Hopi, was built by peoples archaeologists identify as Cohonina, Kayenta, and Sinagua. The eruption of Sunset Crater between 1040 and 1100 blanketed the area with volcanic ash that improved the soil's water retention, and a survey-based estimate holds that about 2,000 people moved into the region during the following century. The main pueblo, built around a natural outcrop of Moenkopi sandstone, held more than 100 rooms and about 85 to 100 residents by 1182 before the area was abandoned by 1225. The site includes the northernmost ballcourt known in North America, a geological blowhole that breathes with the barometric pressure, and trade goods from as far as the Pacific and Gulf coasts, evidence of a community plugged into a very wide network.

What distinguishes Wupatki is its living memory. The National Park Service notes that although no one lives there now, Hopi people understand those who lived and died at Wupatki to remain as spiritual guardians, and members of the Hopi Bear, Katsina, Lizard, Rattlesnake, Sand, Snow, and Water Clans return periodically to deepen their clan histories. Stories of the place continue among Hopi, Navajo, Zuni, and other communities. The monument, established in 1924, is administered alongside Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and was designated an International Dark Sky Park in 2016.

Visiting

The National Park Service operates the monument: the park road is open 24/7 year-round; trails and pueblos are open sunrise to sunset. A single 7-day entrance pass covers both Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki ($25 private vehicle; $15 individual on foot or bicycle); cashless. All on Mountain Standard Time year-round (the nearby Navajo Nation is one hour ahead in summer).

Photo: [CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buildings_of_stone_in_Wupatki.jpg)