A Time of Change

When a volcanic eruption occurred near what is now Flagstaff, Arizona, people lost homes and lands they had cultivated for at least 400 years. The eruption was also visible to large population centers across the Southwest, and many people knew something significant had happened. In the decades that followed, sparsely inhabited areas like Walnut Canyon and nearby Wupatki became densely settled. By 1150, clustered communities replaced scattered farming hamlets as a result of displacement by the eruption, immigration of new families, growth of the local population, or all of these. Trade networks expanded and society became more complex as people, goods, and ideas converged. Across the landscapes of the San Francisco Peaks, society flourished as people tried living together in larger numbers.

Flagstaff, Arizona · United States