Seasonal Living Tyuonyi Overlook Trail Stop 2

small dwellings such as this were mostly seasonal housing

NPS

Quick Facts

Amenities

2 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Scenic View/Photo Spot

Many dwellings are scattered across the mesas and canyons of Bandelier. Some are very large and housed many people year-round like the village of Tyuonyi on the Pueblo Loop Trail near the visitor center. Many others, like the small site in front of you, were mostly seasonal homes or field houses occupied primarily during summer as crops were tended. It is difficult to imagine bringing these dry mesas into bountiful fruition, but the Ancestral Pueblo people took advantage of available moisture from scattered late summer storms, and dampness stored deep in the pumice-rich soil to grow corn, beans, and squash.