1. The HisatSinom, commonly called the Sinagua are an
ancientpeople who lived in the Flagstaff region of Arizonafrom the
1100s until the1300s, when theydisappeared as mysteriously as they
hadappeared 200 years earlier.
2. One of the most remarkable things about theHisatSinom is
that they appeared seemingly out ofnowhere. There is no prior
record of these people ina different location, yet from the start
they had anadvanced and organized culture that includedelements
that would not be expected of a newlyestablished group. They went
on to live in the aridsouthwestern region as a distinct group for
about200 years before disappearing almost asmysteriously as they
had arrived.During their time here theHisatSinom were knownnot only
as farmers, but astraders. They traded withgroups from as far away
asMexico as evidenced bytheir ownership of macaws,and other items
includingcopper bells (right). Thisinteraction was alsoreflected in
theirarchitecture where theyeven went so far as toinclude Mexican
ball courts
3. The view out,from inside oneof the pueblos atWupatki
ruinmakes onewonder what theHisatSinom lifewas like.Lets
findout.
4. Construction of the buildings built by the HisatSinomwasnt
by mistake. It took a lot of time andpeople to construct the
structures, many ofwhich were two and three stories tall.
Naturalstone was used and cemented together usingclay to build both
the pueblo style homes thatare more widespread, and the cliff
dwellings ofWalnut Canyon and the Verde Valley.
5. Montezulas Castle in the Verde Valley is probably one ofthe
best known HisatSinom cliff dwellings.
6. This diorama of Montezumas Castle gives us a feeling forwhat
the interior of the building was like when it wasinhabited. The
ruin used to be open for tours, but had tobe closed to ensure its
continued preservation.
7. Cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon were constructed in
naturallyoccurring alcoves. Walls were build to close off the front
ofthese areas and partitions were added between to createrooms.
HisatSinom architecture was alwaysresourceful, adapted to the
location, and full ofingenuity. Walnut Canyon features cliff
dwellings aswell as pueblo, and pit house ruins.
8. Not only are their multi-storied buildings incredible to
marvel at, sotoo is the workmanship that allows such great portions
of them tocontinue to stand today. Though some were rebuilt and
reinforcedin past years by the National Park Service, they have
adopted aprogram of preservation instead of intervention, and no
longerrebuild ruins. Modern reinforcements can be seen on this
portionof the Wupatki ruins. In many places original wood poles
thatwere harvested far away and were brought back specifically
forconstruction, are still part of the structures.
9. The HisatSinom were skilled farmers, and engaged in dry
farming,using natural swales and washes as places to plant their
crops. Theyalso engaged in terraced farming where they used stone
walls whichare still visible today.Corn was their staple food and
much of their daily lives and spiritualexistence revolved around
the success of this vital crop. Often beanswere planted with the
corn. Planting beans with corn serves to addprotein and more fiber
to the diet through intensive cultivation thatdoes not use more,
valuable land resources. Beans could climb thecorn stalks and not
require additionalsupport. They also served to add nitrogen to the
soilwhich is very quickly depleted by growing corn.
10. This wash atBox Canyonwas used bytheHisatSinomfor
plantingtheir crops.They reliedon monsoonrains
toprovideenoughwater, buthad to hopethe floodswouldnt
bepowerfulenough towash themaway.Box Canyonfeatures
manyHisatSinomruins, threeof which areaccessibleto thepublictoday.
Thisindicatesthat thewash herewas the siteofsuccessful
11. Once harvested, corn was dried for later use andstored. The
harvest was comprised of three parts;the corn they planned to eat
over the next year,seed for planting the next seasons crop,
andadditional corn as an insurance policy. Farming isan
unpredictable life. The HisatSinom wanted toensure that a crop
failure wouldnt mean immediatestarvation.
12. Dried corn was groundinto meal or flour bywomen on stones
calledmetate. Greinding washard work and wastypically done in
openplazas where womencould do this choretogether while talkingand
singing.Grinding the corn wasnecessary to make thehard dried corn
edible,but the stone thatbecame incorperatedwith it caused
dentalproblems later in life forthe HisatSinom.
13. The HisatSinom arecharacterized by their simplebrown ware
pottery (left).The distinctive color camefrom the soils of their
regionthat were used in creatingthe pots.While they as a rule, did
not adorn theirown pottery, they often traded with othergroups
14. This piece of HisatSinom pottery is shown withpieces of
volcanic rock from the Sunset region todemonstrate where the color
of the potterycomes from.
15. The HisatSinom were skilledweavers who used theabundantly
growing yucca tomake a variety of goods like thissandal.
16. But where did the flourishing trade culture go?
17. The HisatSinom were resourcefulsurvivalists who flourished
under harshconditions in the prehistory southwest.After Sunset
Volcano erupted andcovered the area in ash, they returnedto their
homes and rebuilt. Recordsindicate that the volcano was
activeleading up to the explosion the createdSunset Crater, and
that they hadwarning of the impending event.Valuable beams were
removed fromhomes and reused when they rebuiltafter the event. Corn
was also left asan offering to the gods behind thefeeling people.
Where lava coveredthese ears of corn, casting werecreated
(right).
18. If the eruption of a volcano couldnt drive the
HisatSinomaway, what could? We may never know the true answer towhy
these people left, or where they went, but there aresome theories
that offer good explanations
19. One possibility is that increasingly dry weather drove them
from the area.
20. Continual drought may have beena contributing factor in
theHisatSinom leaving theircommunities of the Flagstaff
area.Although they were also traders,they were primarily farmers
andrelied on their corn crops tosurvive. Several years of poorcrops
would certainly have madelife difficult, and probably ledmany to
look for other places tolive that wouldnt be as harsh.
21. Undoubtedly some would havestayed behind to try and tough
itout. The desert was home tothese people, and they hadadapted to
it.
22. But what if there were anotherreason to leave?
23. Some have suggested that continual weather change maynot
have been the only reason. Perhaps the HisatSinomemigrated for a
higher purpose. Some say that they leftspecifically to integrate
with other people of thesouthwest on a great quest to peacefully
become onepeople. While this sounds like it might be one of those
toogood to be true stories, there is some archaeological
andanthropological evidence to back up this theory.
24. This petroglyph at Wupatki is a snake symbol that
looksalmost identical to the Hopi Snake Clan Symbol. Is itpossible
that the people of Wupatki left this, the onlypetroglyph there as a
lasting reminder of where they went?
25. Modern Hopis often recognize symbols of the HisatSinom and
cantell of their significance to their own culture. Through
theirinterpretations, the picture of who the Sinagua were has
becomemuch more clear to anthropologist. Is it possible that these
peoplecould also be the descendants of those people? The Hopi
dontclaim the Hisat Sinom to be their ancestors, but certainly
areaware of them and their traditions. Perhaps we will never
know.
26. Wupatki Ruin, Wupatki NM
27. Cliff Dwellings along the Island Trail,Walnut Canyon
NM
28. Cheek, Lawrence W. A.D. 1250. Arizona Highways.1994.
Print.Downum, Christian E. HisatSinom; Ancient Peoples in aLand
without Water. Sar Press. 2012. Print.Houk, Rose. Sinagua:
Prehistoric Cultures of theSouthwest. Western National Parks
Association. 1992.Print.Malotki, Ekkehart. Earth Fire: A Hopi
Legend of theSunset Crater Eruption. Kiva Publishing Inc. 2005.
Print.Reid, Jefferson and Stephanie Whittlesey. TheArchaeology of
Ancient Arizona. University of ArizonaPress. 1997.
Print.Sources
29. At the Edge of the Volcano. Camera One.2012. DVD.Ancient
Indian Cultures of Northern Arizona.Gilbert Urias. 2005. DVDMuseums
at Wupatki NM, Sunset Crater NM,Walnut Canyon NM, and Monetezumas
CastleNMAdditional Resources:Vick, Helen Hughes. Walker of Time.
TayolorTrade Publishing. 1998. Print.