Last updated: April 26, 2024
Place
Pueblo and Pithouse
Quick Facts
Location:
Rim Trail
Amenities
3 listed
Cellular Signal, Picnic Table, Restroom
Take a leisurely stroll on the loop portion of the Rim Trail. The combination of unexcavated structures and excavated pueblo and pithouse sites offer an introduction into the rich cultural history of Walnut Canyon. These sites were excavated, stabilized, and partially reconstructed between 1966 and 1968. You can help us protect these fragile sites by enjoying them from a distance, do not sit or stand on the walls or enter the pithouse. Please stay on the trails to protect unexcavated areas and leave artifacts in place.
Along the canyon rim early inhabitants planted crops and built structures with different housing styles than what is found in the cliff alcoves. Pithouses were built into the ground and varied in size and shape. Construction techniques were dependent on the builders and materials at hand. Pueblos were built with two to four rooms and a roof of wooden beams, brush, and mud. Structures were compact, insulated with thick stone walls, and strategically oriented to the sun and seasons. Pueblos and pithouses were widely used over long periods of occupancy. Structures were modified over time to meet the changing needs of the community; some homes may have become temperature-controlled storage as needs changed. Consider how modern homes can be built or modified with sustainable building materials and styles to significantly reduce impacts on the environment.
Nearby corn, beans, squash, and other crops were planted to supplement the many wild foods gathered around Walnut Canyon. Community members worked together in the gardens, successfully growing crops in this dry high elevation climate, strengthening the seeds to be more viable in following seasons. This tradition of cultivation and gathering continues to this day in and around Flagstaff, further connecting tribal communities with their ancestral heritage and rich agricultural knowledge of the region.
Along the canyon rim early inhabitants planted crops and built structures with different housing styles than what is found in the cliff alcoves. Pithouses were built into the ground and varied in size and shape. Construction techniques were dependent on the builders and materials at hand. Pueblos were built with two to four rooms and a roof of wooden beams, brush, and mud. Structures were compact, insulated with thick stone walls, and strategically oriented to the sun and seasons. Pueblos and pithouses were widely used over long periods of occupancy. Structures were modified over time to meet the changing needs of the community; some homes may have become temperature-controlled storage as needs changed. Consider how modern homes can be built or modified with sustainable building materials and styles to significantly reduce impacts on the environment.
Nearby corn, beans, squash, and other crops were planted to supplement the many wild foods gathered around Walnut Canyon. Community members worked together in the gardens, successfully growing crops in this dry high elevation climate, strengthening the seeds to be more viable in following seasons. This tradition of cultivation and gathering continues to this day in and around Flagstaff, further connecting tribal communities with their ancestral heritage and rich agricultural knowledge of the region.