Photo Gallery (U.S. National Park Service)

A variety of native plants were used by the Ancestral Pueblo people to help survive in this arid landscape.

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Three-leaf Sumac berries ripen in late summer and were used by the Ancestral Pueblo people to make a drink that tasted similar to lemonade.

Three-leaf Sumac Berries

2250 x 3000
3.8 MB

The ripened fruit of the Prickly Pear cactus was a naturally sweet food for the Ancestral Pueblo people.

Prickly Pear fruit

2250 x 3000
3.9 MB

The seeds or nuts of the Pinon Pine are rich in calories (3000/lb) and nutrition. It was an important food source for the Ancestral Pueblo people when it was available.

Pinon Pine Cone with seeds

3000 x 2250
4.2 MB

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