Driving the 190 miles from Santa Fe to Bloomfield, NM was beautiful. After endless miles of desert driving on the way to Pensacola during the first half of this adventure, we began to view the desert as monotonous, uninteresting, and kind of depressing. On this high (6,000 to 7,000 foot elevation) desert drive, we were enchanted by the ever-changing land forms, the colorful rock strata that had been laid down over the millenia, and the broad vistas with the distant, snow-covered peaks of the San Juan Mountains. The four lane road was glass-smooth – a far cry from the pitted tracks called freeways in Louisiana.
We descended into the lush, green valley of the San Juan River. Here, agriculture flourishes as it has for thousands of years. The terrain is dotted with oil and gas wells, and there are several small refineries. Much of the land is designated as Indian reservation.
This morning (Monday the 16th) we drove a short distance from our campsite to the Aztec Ruins National Monument, which has been designated a World Heritage Site. This ruined four-story masonry pueblo was not built by the Aztecs at all. In fact, it predates the Mexican Aztec civilization by hundreds of years. Its 500 rooms housed as many as 5,000 people and was occupied for about 300 years from 1000 to 1300, at which time it was abandoned. What is remarkable about this site is that it lay undisturbed for 500 years before being re-discovered in the 19th century. In the early 20th century, the site was excavated by an archeologist. Many of the rooms contained artifacts, and some of the wood and earth roofs were intact. Today, the roof timbers you see are nearly 1,000 years old. There is even an original woven reed door cover hanging in the structure. Truly incredible!
We toured the 300 acre site and marveled at the precisely fit stones, which had been carried by hand for miles from the quarry. Archeologists believe the entire structure was pre-planned. It surrounds a central plaza which contains an enormous stone kiva that has been entirely reconstructed. The people who built this were remarkable. They had highly developed agricultural techniques, along with weaving, pottery making, and an intimate knowledge of the seasons.
The site contains multiple ceremonial kivas and is considered sacred ground to this day. Gregory Cajete of the Santa Clara Pueblo wrote, “The People celebrated the mystery of life in their kivas and their plaza. They sang their ancient songs timed to the beat of their drums . . . and their hearts. They danced in honor and prayer to the animals and plants whose life they shared in this place. Through these rituals they strove to establish a “resonance” with Earth and the Cosmos. They believed harmony in the Cosmos was essential to recreate in their lives, relationships, and community.”
No one knows exactly why this pueblo was abandoned, but tree growth ring evidence suggests that the area experienced extreme multi-year droughts that curtailed the food supply. Tribal lore suggests that the residents moved to other pueblos where their descendents still live today.
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