#Homolovi

[whencyclopedia]

Canyon de Chelly

Canyon de Chelly or Canyon de Chelly National Monument is a protected site that contains the remains of 5,000 years of Native American inhabitation. Canyon de Chelly is located in the northeastern portion of the US state of Arizona within the Navajo Nation and not too far from the border with neighboring New Mexico. It is located 472 km (293 miles) northwest of Phoenix, Arizona. Canyon de Chelly is unique in the United States as it preserves the ruins and rock art of indigenous peoples that lived in the region for centuries - the Ancestral Puebloans and the Navajo. Canyon de Chelly has been recognized as a US National Monument since 1931 CE, and it is one of the most visited National Monuments in the United States today.

Geography & Prehistory

The etymology of Canyon de Chelly's name is unusual in the U.S. Southwest as it initially appears to resemble French rather than the more ubiquitous Spanish. "Chelly" is actually derived from the Navajo word tseg, which means "rock canyon" or "in a canyon." Spanish explorers and government officials began to utilize a "Chelly,” “Chegui,” and even "Chelle" in order to try to replicate the Navajo word in the early 1800s CE, which eventually was standardized to “de Chelly” by the middle of the 19th century CE.

Canyon de Chelly lies very close to Chinle, Arizona, and it is located between the Ancestral Puebloan ruins of Betakin and Kiet Siel in the west and the grand structures of Chaco Canyon in New Mexico in the east. Canyon de Chelly, as a National Monument, covers 83,840 acres (339.3 km2; 131.0 sq miles) of land that is currently owned by the Navajo tribe. Spectacularly situated on the Colorado Plateau near the Four Corner's Region, Canyon de Chelly sits at an elevation of over 1829 m (6,000 ft) and bisects the Defiance Plateau in eastern Arizona. The tributaries of the Chinle Creek, which runs through Canyon de Chelly and originates in the Chuska Mountains, have carved the rock and landscape for thousands of years, creating red cliffs that rise up an additional 305 m (1000 ft). The National Monument extends into the canyons of de Chelly, del Muerto, and Monument.

Canyon de Chelly is one of the longest continuously inhabited places anywhere in North America, and archaeologists believe that human settlement in the canyon dates back some 5,000 years. Ancient prehistoric tribes and peoples utilized the canyon while hunting and migrating seasonally, but they did not construct permanent settlements within the canyon. Nonetheless, these prehistoric peoples did leave etchings on stones and on canyon walls throughout what is now Canyon de Chelly. Around c. 200-100 BCE, peoples following a semi-agricultural and sedentary way of life began to inhabit the canyon. (Archaeologists refer to these peoples as "Basketmakers." They are considered the ancestors to the Ancestral Puebloan Peoples.) While they still hunted and gathered like their prehistoric forebears, they also farmed the land where fertile, growing corn, beans, squash, and other small crops. It is also known that they grew cotton for textile production. Yucca and grama grass have grown in the canyon for several millennia, and indigenous people utilized these plants when making baskets, sandals, and various types of mats. Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia cactaceae) and pinyon are also found throughout Canyon de Chelly, the latter of which provided an important source of food for indigenous peoples in autumn and winter. Fish are found in Canyon de Chelly's tributaries, and large and small game frequent the canyon.

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[whencyclopedfr]

Canyon de Chelly

Le Canyon de Chelly ou Canyon de Chelly National Monument est un site protégé qui contient les vestiges de 5 000 ans d'occupation amérindienne. Le Canyon de Chelly est situé dans la partie nord-est de l'État américain de l'Arizona, au sein de la nation Navajo et non loin de la frontière avec le Nouveau-Mexique voisin. Il se trouve à 472 km (293 miles) au nord-ouest de Phoenix, en Arizona. Le Canyon de Chelly est unique aux États-Unis car il conserve les ruines et l'art rupestre des peuples autochtones qui vécurent dans la région pendant des siècles - les Pueblos (Anasazi) et les Navajos. Le Canyon de Chelly est reconnu comme monument national américain depuis 1931, et c'est aujourd'hui l'un des monuments nationaux les plus visités des États-Unis.

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[whencyclopedes]

Culto a la kachina

El culto a la kachina (también "katsina") hace referencia a las prácticas religiosas específicas centradas en la kachina, que es una entidad espiritual y mensajera divina de la cultura Pueblo, así como de las tribus hopi, zuni, tewa y keresan del actual suroeste de Estados Unidos. El culto a la kachina surgió en circunstancias misteriosas en el suroeste desértico tras un período de profunda agitación social, cultural y religiosa a finales del siglo XIV o principios del XV, tras el abandono de centros como el Cañón Chaco, Mesa Verde, Wupatki y el Cañón de Chelly. Los orígenes exactos del culto a la kachina siguen siendo objeto de acalorados debates académicos. A pesar de la llegada de los conquistadores españoles y los misioneros cristianos a la región en el siglo XVI, los pueblos hopi y zuñi fueron capaces de mantener sus libertades temporales y religiosas, garantizando la supervivencia y el florecimiento del culto a la kachina hasta los tiempos modernos.

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[thomaswaynewolf]

[vivletana2]

Our first stop was Winslow, Arizona. I stood on the corner. We made many small stops today. Mom made sure I stayed hydrated. We went to Homolovi State Park to see some Hopi village ruins. We tried to stop at a trading post, that Bring Fido said was pet friendly, for an indoor air-conditioned activity, but no dogs were allowed in. So, I hung out by the door for a bit and got lots of pets from the people coming and going. We ended the day at Lake Park in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. On to Texas tomorrow!

[mitsdriveswhere]

Please stop touching thousand year old artifacts

I.

Look.

I am an avid tourist. I like touristing. I think you should be an avid tourist. You should go see things that you think are cool. And to be clear, you should touch things you think are cool when you have permission.

If you go to Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado, they will let you touch the fossils. There is a whole wall of them, and they let you and encourage you to touch them. Obviously I did. That's a whole ass dinosaur fossil! Of course I'm going to touch it! And it was not at all what I was expecting it to feel like. It was cool, and educational.

You should be a tourist. I stand by that. What you should STOP being, is a Tourist™. Tourism? Cool. Tourism™? Not cool.

I've had this post in my drafts for more than a year, I wasn't really sure how to bring it up. I was prompted to write initially when I went to Homolovi State Park in AZ in 2022. It's a beautiful ruin, but it's easily accessible, and therefore has a greater chance of being defaced. Even while I was there, I saw with my own two eyes a family that allowed their crotch goblin child to walk off the paved route and into one of the ruins to pick up and bring them a pottery sherd (specifically, a shard of broken pottery). They looked at it, passing it around between them, and then placed it back on the ground with a pile of other sherds that other tourists had obviously gone off route to pick up.

And I just. I just lost my damn mind. I just lost my damn mind on that trail. And there were dozens of piles of sherds, all over the place. Homolovi is not the only ruin with this problem, pretty much any ruin you come across, you will see piles or "displays" of sherds all over the fucking place, where tourists felt it best to pick up these artifacts and then place them back wherever they saw fit.

And I started this post as a kind of... rant, for lack of a better word, because oh my god. Do not pick up thousand year old artifacts at ruins, especially at a ruin that still holds religious and cultural weight with a LIVING group of people.

This post sat in my drafts until now, because I couldn't think of a good reason to post it. It was not until I saw Milo, a youtube archeologist that I genuinely love, make a video about him doing this exact thing (and later apologized for it, which I appreciate). It finally dawned on me that people really don't know how to interact with ruins, and I think Milo did a great job explaining why you should not pick up sherds at archaeological sites. You should go watch it if you haven't already.

He was correct, you shouldn't pick up sherds because you are removing them from their cultural context, and you are creating the opportunity for people who don't care as much as they should to have an array of artifacts spread out in front of them with literally zero effort to take.

That goes for any time of historical site, not just ruins. Don't pick up stuff that doesn't belong to you, whether in a ruin, a geological formation, your grandma's house, it doesn't matter. Don't do that. Don't be a Tourist™. Be a tourist (respectful). Pay the park due, pay attention to signage, follow custodial instruction. And don't pick up pottery sherds.

[lockwoodsontherun]

First day of our wandering home to Helena. As we were towing up past Pine AZ we ran into an hour long traffic jam caused by a motorcycle vs motorhome. No info on injuries but the delay caused us to miss a visit to the Meteor Crater. We did have a lovely night at Homolovi State park.

[haylanmakesstuff]

Day 47-52

My last two days to discover and adventure in Sequoia National Park were dashed on the rocks. I thought I would be sad to miss out on so much – and in some way I definitely was – but I was also tired, hurting, and sick. As I mentioned last post, I had a restful day reading, eating, and napping – something I rarely can do, and have to be desperate for. I did manage to do physical therapy at my site, which was nice being in the cool temperatures and surrounded by tall trees. I sewed on a felt stocking and listened to true crime podcasts like any solo female traveler would while in the woods on a dark mountain all alone. I did manage to draw a picture, as I promised my nephew I would mail him one:

On such a lazy day, it may be the right time to share with you a few things I’ve found that have made my traveling much easier. Number one would be these food grade produce and dish wipes.

Although I am a Master Educator in outdoor ethics and teach people how to properly wash their dishes in primitive places without damaging the land or wildlife, I tend not to have the energy it takes to do these things while on my own, so I have to find a way around it without breaking my own ethics – remember, ethics is what you do when no one is watching. I found these wipes and have been SO impressed by them I will give them my number one MII (Most Important Item) Award for camping. They clean extremely well, have minimal waste, and mean people are less tempted to leave food scraps near their site, restrooms, fire pit, etc. Though effective, they are also small, so they are easy to pack out of your camp and use anytime!

Next would be this great Chuckwagon that Husband got me shortly before I left. Instead of using a bin, this Chuckwagon keeps all my dishes, wipes, pots, pans, utensils, etc. in one easy to get to and carry place. And it’s colorful too! Definitely saved me energy and many, many trips walking from picnic table to car.

Inside the Chuckwagon is this little kettle that he surprised me with from H-Mart. This may seem like an odd thing to put on a list, but this little guy was great (other than when I melted part of the handle the first time I used it…whoops!). This meant I always had a designated place to boil water quickly, which while camping, is invaluable.

I also relied on Ensure (or similar) brand nutrition drinks. This is an easy way to get food energy when my appetite suffers due to medication side effects or dysautonomia. I found this specific Cinnabon flavor *actually* tasty.

I’m sure there are many other things I could recommend to you, but as to not bore most of my audience, always feel free to reach out to me if you are a beginner camper, need travel advice, park advice, or want to learn more about how to be a good steward while enjoying our natural world.

The next day, 48, it was time to pack up and head out. Some people made it weird by showing up to my campsite at 8:30am (check out isn’t until 11:00am) and literally walking around it, talking about where their families’ tents will go. They then parked in front of it, sat in their car, and watched and waited until I packed up and left. Although this was beyond awkward, and quite frankly, rude, I decided I wasn’t going to speed it up one bit. I wasn’t going to purposefully take longer, but as much as I wanted to scream and run for the hills, I decided not to. I could tell they were getting antsy since I had to finish breakfast, pack, and hook up the camper. As soon as my back tire was out of the site, they were already driving into it. This is really confusing to me, as only 2 other sites in our section of the campground (about 10 sites total) were COMPLETELY empty!

To break up the drive today, I stopped somewhere I saw on my Nat Geo adventure atlas that I hadn’t previously known existed; Cesar E Chavez National Memorial. I am so glad I did! The staff was so nice, and I learned SO much here. Largely recognized as the most influential and important Hispanic leader in the US, Chavez worked peacefully to unite migrant, minority farm workers to create the first agricultural union, fight for the rights, higher pay, sanitary conditions, and more, through peaceful protest, hunger fasts, eloquent speeches, and more. The grounds include his small town of La Paz, a fully functioning town and sanctuary for his people, his garden, gravesite, and memorials.

I earned what I see as a very special Junior Ranger badge here since I learned so much about someone so important, that wasn’t really taught in the schools where I grew up in Texas, even though our Mexican and farm worker population is quite high. This badge is dedicated to every single one of you that helped me raise my goal for the Ehlers-Danlos Society. We raised most of one of their research grants that will work to resolved patient suffering, disparities in diagnosis, and more. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. Your outpouring of support, emotionally, virtually, and financially, was deeply touching and still is today, at the tail end of this trip. This also goes out to all of you who have read this blog and traveled with me on this journey! I was surprised at the amount of people who have told me they have been reading and following along on the highs and lows of this journey. Thank you for taking the time to learn about my adventures, and this condition that has befallen me.

I was a little too excited about taking a bath tonight, but the water would have been warmer had I picked any pond off the side of the road to take a dip in. I had a fitful night of sleep, then back on the road for the long drive home. Still trapped in the 55 mile per hour cap on California highways, the days stretched on into eternity. I have now entered back into Dante’s 15th level of hell, where the temps have risen to over 100 again. At one point the transmission fluid got too hot and I had to pull over to let it cool. I sure am missing the Pacific Northwest already.

Stayed at Homolovi State Park in Arizona, and although my view was a nice barren field of grass, I got to watch wild burros soodling about. Got out at night to get ready for bed and a coyote was nearby and startled me. Then it just started yipping. When I looked into the field, I just saw its glowing eyes bounding through the field, looking at me.

Day 50 dragged on. I can feel I’m definitely on the anti-climax of this trip. I waited in the morning at the Homolovi visitor center. The ranger had stepped out and left a note they’d be back at 9:05am. At 9:30am she showed up and was SO grouchy and just about rude, I have to wonder what terrible morning had befallen her. She told me there was no Junior Ranger program when I asked. I remarked, “Oh, I saw you had one on your website,” to which she responded, “Well, we are out.” I looked around the museum and eventually she started digging under the desk and asked how old my kids were. I told her that it is actually for me. She looked at me in disbelief, quit rummaging around, and plopped down at her computer and typed very, very hard. A type I know well from working in a call center with lots of unhappy people. Well, sorry everyone, no Junior Ranger badge to earn here! It bums me out when a ranger thinks that people are too old to learn or have fun in the parks. I didn’t have opportunities to do things like this as a kid, so I do them now. As a ranger myself, my oldest Junior Ranger was 98 years old, and I was honored enough to give him his first badge and patch at Crater Lake. Please, don’t let grumpy rangers ruin your time; you are NEVER too old for learning or fun.

Here are all of the Junior Ranger badges I earned during this trip alone! It is but a fraction of how many I have since I started earning and learning in 2010. 

The best thing that happened the rest of today was a big ol’ banana split – a key to my heart. I stayed at Santa Rosa Lake in New Mexico again and got in too late to go swimming at Blue Hole down the road. I have been before but didn’t get to swim. I was a place people often mistook for Balmorhea State Park in Texas, a place I used to work and volunteer at for a long time. Right at 8am, a guy left his site and came to an empty one near mine to practice his violin. I actually quite enjoyed it, but I have to question the decision in general.

What an uneventful day, with zero banana splits, all the way to Abilene, Texas. Before I know it, it’s day 52, the very last day of my trip! I was so excited to get home. Having worked seasonally, away from home, pets, and Husband frequently, I am always excited to come home, but there is always a marked sadness that I’m leaving something I really enjoy, too. This time I think I was so tired I didn’t have that. I want to put on a long plush onsie and lay on the couch and hug my cat. Of course, the phone service went out leaving me with no maps, so have you heard about our lord and savior, Nat Geo Adventure Atlas?

As I pulled into my house, there were 4 white tail fawns with an adult doe lounging and eating. What a welcome home! I’ve also never been greeted so voraciously by a cat in my life. Husband greeted me with a pile of gifts he had collected for me, a “Let Fall begin NOW!” package of curated items that means, in fact, that fall is here even if it’s still 99 outside. What a great welcome back from these two perfect creatures I call home.

Here are all the patched I got during this trip; I also collect patches, which are more common to find places than Junior Ranger programs. I’m starting to run out of room to put my collection, the entire thing is getting big. 

I guess I can’t help but notice this trip ‘starts with a flood and ends with a trickle’, as the sweetest Regina Spektor has said. Thanks to modern medicine and physical therapy, I have done more on this trip than I thought I was able to do – more than I have been able to do in YEARS – but I still had to put the breaks on when I pushed it too far. I found out that difficult last alpine lake hike I did was just over 7 miles. That is nothing by old standards, but it’s gargantuan by todays.

I thought I would be really sad at my burn out at the end of the trip; missing out on my last finale hike in Mineral King, but oddly I’m at peace with it. I did what I had to do to take care of myself, and that’s alright. I go back to Texas to a litany of doctors’ appointments and procedures to continue to try to be the best me I can be, even if it’s not who I used to be. I truly hate the saying “it could always be worse” because it invalidates our very valid experiences, but I want my readers to know that this condition could be worse than I have it, and that’s one reason I wanted to raise awareness and funds. Some are wheelchair bound, others have feeding tubes or ostomy bags, permanent mobility aids, and more. And I know anyone of these things could be in my future. Even with a tad of an inside look on this blog, there is still a lot you don’t see; the constant medicine, the downtime, the pain, it doesn’t translate, but it’s heavy. That’s why I need to live life while I have it, and why you should too. No one ever things that chronic illness will happen to them, but it happens to all of us eventually, even if you’re lucky enough for it to be nothing more than old age. Don’t be afraid to adventure, especially if you are meek or a solo traveler, or a woman, or a minority, or disabled, or any one of the many things that puts up a roadblock to accessing adventure, travel, and happiness.

¡Si, Se Puede!

Haylan

[lostyet]

The reluctant history of Homolovi State Park

The reluctant history of Homolovi State Park

The San Francisco Peaks west of the state park Before I get into this article about the ruined houses of native Americans, let me confess, for context, that I have long been bored with the subject. As a native (meaning born in Phoenix – not Native) and thereby a product of Arizona public education through the 1970’s, I joined my classmates as we were herded by busloads through the various ruins…

[wulvers]

wild burro

[wandering-jana]

Updates from the Road: Ancient Pueblos and a Giant Crater

Updates from the Road: Ancient Pueblos and a Giant Crater

My last Arizona adventure ends with a visit to Homol’ovi State Park and Meteor Crater!  Continue reading

[whencyclopedia]

The Kachina (also “Katsina”) cult refers to the specific religious practices centered on the kachina, which is a spiritual entity and divine messenger of the Puebloan peoples as well as the Hopi, Zuni, Tewa, and Keresan tribes in what is the present-day Southwestern United States. The Kachina cult emerged under mysterious circumstances in the desert Southwest after a period of profound social, cultural, and religious turmoil in either the late 14th or early 15th centuries CE, following the abandonment of centers like Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, Wupatki, and Canyon de Chelly. The exact origins of the Kachina cult remain the subject of fierce, scholarly debates. Despite the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores and Christian missionaries in the region during the 16th century CE, the Hopi and the Zuñi peoples were able to maintain their temporal and religious freedoms, ensuring that the Kachina cult has survived and flourished well into modern times.

[whencyclopedfr]

Culte des Kachinas

Le culte des Kachinas (également appelé "Katchinas") fait référence aux pratiques religieuses spécifiques centrées sur les kachinas, qui sont des entités spirituelles et messagers divins des peuples puebloans ainsi que des tribus Hopi, Zuni, Tewa et Keresan dans ce qui est aujourd'hui le sud-ouest des États-Unis. Le culte des Kachinas apparut dans des circonstances mystérieuses dans le désert du Sud-Ouest après une période de profonds bouleversements sociaux, culturels et religieux à la fin du XIVe ou au début du XVe siècle, suite à l'abandon de centres comme Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, Wupatki et Canyon de Chelly. Les origines exactes du culte des Kachinas font l'objet d'âpres débats savants. Malgré l'arrivée des conquistadores espagnols et des missionnaires chrétiens dans la région au XVIe siècle, les Hopis et les Zuñis purent conserver leurs libertés temporelles et religieuses, ce qui permit au culte des Kachinas de survivre et de prospérer jusqu'à nos jours.

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[anamericanstream]

Artifacts, Hulks, Ruins, Relics, Rubble, Remains, Remnants….

Artifacts, Hulks, Ruins, Relics, Rubble, Remains, Remnants….

  Arizona Route 66

Route 66, the “Mother Road,” as it is affectionately named, was officially decommissioned in 1984, but still clings to life in fits and starts across eight states and three time zones. What once was a major transportation artery across America from Chicago to Los Angeles, providing fuel and sustenance to travelers in oasis stops, now harbors ghosts of its past. Ruth and I…

[nemfrog]

“Four mile polychrome bowl. Homolovi, Arizona.” Anasazi painted pottery in Field Museum of Natural History. 1940. Frontispiece. 

[friendswithclay]

LADLE WITH BABE-IN-CRADLE HANDLE FROM HOMOLOVI No. 1.

From: “ Clay figurines of the American Southwest”, by Noel Morss , 1954.