The Perfect Shelter

In these rooms tucked into a rock alcove, nature provided the back wall, floor, and leak-proof ceiling, so no excavation was needed. Builders laid unshaped blocks of limestone for side walls, enclosed the front, and opened doorways to the canyon. Only two walls remain here. Many hands have worked on these walls, from the women who first skillfully plastered them, to vandals who defaced them, to preservation specialists who now repair them. The dwellings along this trail have been either stabilized, with stones reset and mortar patched, or restored, with partial rebuilding. Original mortars still remain in many walls; they are brown, red, gray, and gold-colored, have hairline cracks, and incorporate small pebbles and charcoal.

Flagstaff, Arizona · United States