A window to the past

One of the first things that comes to mind looking out from the Wukoki Pueblo is the reason why the builders chose that spot to build a fairly monumental structure. It is easy to conjecture that the weather and rainfall patterns were much different at the time. In fact, there is a theory that the nearby volcanic eruption of what we call Sunset Crater coated the landscape with cinders which retained the moisture and fertilized the soil, making the area a lot more desirable that it appears. Even with this theory, it is very hard to come up with any rationale for building in this location justifying the remoteness and lack of firewood or water. However, there are also theories that air-breathing crevices such as the blow hole by Wupatki, may have had a major roll in locating these post-eruptive sites. See Schley, R.A., Excavation of the Wupatki Blowhole Site, NA7824.

The general opinion seems to be that the area was settled by the Sinagua Indians, close relatives to today's Hopi tribe. Sinaguas are also the name given to Indians at other prominent Arizona ruins, like Walnut Canyon and as far south as Montezuma's Castle. Unless you read the technical writings about the ruins, you are likely to find references to Anasazi, Mogollon, Hohokam, Petayan and even references to Mesoamericans. These are all cultural labels that are used by modern archaeologists to denote groups of inhabitants with a common cultural tradition. These labels are by their nature arbitrary and are either artifact based (i.e. pottery), tool based, or style based, or all three. Cultural differences were likely a result of geographic and climatic isolation. However, even the most educated of archaeological theories cannot take into account differences in unidentified cultural or political differences.