The morning started at the Acoma reservation and drive up to the Pueblo on top of a Mesa there. The rock formations on our drive in and around the Pueblo site were amazing. The first big monolith that you seeis Enchantment Rock (Kadzii ma in Acoma language), the site of the first Pueblo. It rises 500′ off of the valley floor. This was abandoned hundreds of years ago. The Pueblo itself on the next Mesa and is about 350′ high. It is a working, living pueblo although many of the tribe move in and out based on season. The first inhabitants settled here around 1200 AD. The Acoma society is matriarchal and houses are passed on to daughters through many generations. Most of the tribe maintains their tribal religion but due to the Spanish conquest of the tribe around 1600 there is a Cathedral (San Esteban del Rey) and some tribe members have been converted. New construction of homes continues today but generally using the old style of mud and Adobe. There is no electricity or running water and all food and materials are brought up from the valley floor. Several of us opted to climb down from the Pueblo to the valley floor using the ancient path with hand holds carved into the rock. On our drive to Chinle AZ we stopped first at the Hubbel Trading Post, a National Historical Monument and then finally at the Navajo tribal capital city of Window Rock. Amongst the tribal administrative buildings is a beautiful park with the namesake of the city towering over it.
That looks like a “hang on” trip to the valley floor.
Fred
Beautiful scenery, loved the commentary