Last updated: May 16, 2024
Footprints of the Past
Nestled between the Painted Desert and ponderosa highlands of northern Arizona, Wupatki National Monument is an unlikely landscape for a thriving community. The early 1100's marked a time of cooler and wetter weather, when the ancestors of contemporary Pueblo communities created a bustling center of trade and culture. For indigenous peoples, these sites represent the footprints of their ancestors.
The park's namesake pueblo preserves 104 rooms, a ballcourt, and a natural blowhole feature.
Called "beautiful house", Lomaki Pueblo sits next to a check dam that demonstrates the importance of water in a dry landscape.
A ground-up view of the three-story wall at Wukoki Pueblo.
Nalakihu Pueblo sits in front of the Citadel. Once two stories high, the Citadel is the only pueblo to use basalt as well as sandstone.