Wukoki

Wukoki, a modern Hopi word for “Big House,” was once home to two or three prehistoric Indian families. The inhabitants are believed to have been of the Kayenta Anasazi culture, judging from the types of artifacts found during excavation and stabilization. Occupied from approximately 1120-1210 A.D., the site afforded its occupants a commanding view of the surrounding terrain. Its unusual three-story height, combined with its position atop a Moenkopi Sandstone outcrop, lends credence to the theory that it may have been one of several central or “focal” sites for the Anasazi Sinaguan people. It is visible from a great distance and from many perspectives in the area. Three rooms are obvious today, and others were probably present during the period of occupation. A plaza area on the southern side of the flat sandstone surface was likely used for daily activities such as food preparation and pottery-making, and may also have been an area for children to play. During mild weather it must have been a much more inviting place than the dark rooms of the pueblo.

Arizona · United States