Tusayan Pueblo Ruins And Split Twig Figurines Tell Story Of People Who Once Inhabited The Grand Canyon
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - People have continuously occupied the Grand Canyon for at least the past 4,000 years, and they have lived in the region for the past 12,000 years. As many as 4,800 archaeological sites have already been documented, but many more still remain to be cataloged.
Over the centuries people have come and gone in and around the Grand Canyon area, occupying it for extended periods of time or staying there only briefly.
The Ancestral Puebloans, who are believed to be relatives of the modern-day Zuni, Hopi, and other Puebloan tribes, established roots at the Grand Canyon.
The Tusayan Ruins (also known as ‘Tusayan Pueblo’) are the remains of a small 12th century Ancestral Puebloan village site located within Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. It is one of the best-documented archaeological sites of the region.
The ruins are considered to be one of the major archeological sites in Arizona.
Both the ruins of the village and the local Tusayan Museum that displays pottery, seashell bracelets, corncobs, arrowheads along with original split-twig figurines, give us an insight into the lives of a thriving Anasazi community with a rich history.
Historians believe that the Tusayan settlement numbered only about 30 people and was in occupation for only a quarter of a century.
They made their own tools, whether for cooking or hunting, from stone, bone, and antler. Stone grinders were used by them to grind corn and stone arrowheads were used as weapons.
Split twig figurines – an important part of the Desert Culture – represent the oldest record of human occupancy of the Grand Canyon, some dating back to at least 4,000 years. Researchers believe that the small effigies depict several animals very common in the Grand Canyon even today.
It is believed that the effigies were made as part of a ritual ceremony that was carried out before a hunt, to ask for the blessings of the animal’s spirits before taking their lives.
The so-called split twig figurines (image above) date back 2,000 to 4,000 years. They were not found at Tusayan Ruin itself, however, these artifacts were discovered in many other caves in the Grand Canyon. They provide proof of the long human presence at the Grand Canyon and its use by Native Americans.
The ‘Tusayan Pueblo’ settlement consisted of a central plaza surrounded by living quarters, kivas, and storage rooms. The plaza faced south to catch the sun during cooler seasons.
The living quarters consisted of a single story of rock, adobe, and wood with about 3 or four main rooms. Storage rooms held food that was dried to preserve it during harsh winter months.
The only source of transportation for these Anasazi people was on foot. Everything that these people ate had to be gathered, harvested, or killed by them.
Among ruins there are still preserved ceremonial structures, that modern Puebloans use even today in diverse festivals and religious ceremonies. The structures are believed to represent the Sipapuni, a geological feature on the floor of the Grand Canyon that many Hopi believe is the place where they entered into this world.
These people lived during the Pueblo II Period (900 AD to 1150 AD), which was the second pueblo period of the Ancestral Puebloans of the Four Corners region of the American southwest. They managed to survive into the Pueblo III era, an important period in the development of Puebloan communities, which gradually began to build multi-storied pueblo or cliff-side talus house communities and lived in large cliff-dwellings.
Written by – A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
Expand for referencesMore From Ancient Pages
-
Mystery In Abydos: Carved Rock Chambers Discovered Inside Sacred Mountain
Archaeology | Jul 17, 2020
-
Unexpected Discovery Of Viking Trading Place In Norway Re-Writes History
Archaeology | Jul 22, 2020
-
Oldest Lunar Calendar Engraved On A Pebble Dated To 10,000 Years Ago
Archaeology | Aug 5, 2019
-
Unique Ornamented Golden Bronze Age Belt Discovered Near Opava, Czech Republic
Artifacts | Oct 28, 2022
-
Evidence Americas’ Oldest Mine In Wyoming Was Used By Paleoindians 13,000 Years Ago Has Been Found!
Archaeology | May 19, 2022
-
On This Day In History: Henry VIII Ascended The Throne Of England – On Apr 22, 1509
News | Apr 22, 2016
-
26,000-Year-Old Footprints In Chauvet Cave: Oldest Evidence Of Human-Canine Relationship
Featured Stories | Dec 29, 2016
-
What Are The Monumental Uratrian-Era Structures Unearthed At Garibin Tepe In Van?
Archaeology | Sep 4, 2023
-
Rare 3,000-Year-Old Jerubbaal Inscription Of Biblical Judge Discovered In Israel
Archaeology | Jul 14, 2021
-
Mysterious Rock Inscription Found In Brittany Baffles Experts – Reward If You Can Decipher It
Archaeology | May 15, 2019
-
More Than 2,500 Years Old Gallic Tombs Unearthed In Nîmes, Southern France
Archaeology | Aug 17, 2020
-
Beautiful Terracotta Figurine Collection Discovered In Myra, Antalya
Archaeology | Sep 29, 2020
-
Deception And Hidden Truth – Ancient Struggle Of The Eagle And Serpent – Part 3
Ancient Symbols | Sep 9, 2019
-
Mysterious Secret ‘Square’ Discovered Beneath Avebury Stone Circle
Archaeology | Jun 30, 2017
-
Rare And Well-Preserved Inka Tunic Discovered In Chile
Archaeology | Feb 14, 2023
-
Kikimora – Nightly Evil Female Spirit And Goddess Of Chickens In Slavic Beliefs
Featured Stories | Oct 22, 2018
-
Ancient Egyptian Blue Powder Makes Fingerprints Glow And Will Be Used By Crime Scene Investigators
Ancient Technology | Jun 15, 2017
-
Who Were The Sin Eaters?
Ancient History Facts | Jan 21, 2020
-
Strange Underwater Mini-Pyramid Older Than Stonehenge With Unknown Purpose – Who Built It?
Featured Stories | Sep 12, 2021
-
Rudolf II: Eccentric Holy Roman Emperor Whose Occult Interest And Mistakes Led To The Thirty Years’ War
Featured Stories | Apr 9, 2021