Travel Secrets by V

Come explore ancient dwellings at Bandelier National Monument. Best of all, there is a ceremonial cave and kiva located 140 ft high in the canyon wall. It’s a long way up but definitely worth the climb.

How the area was created

1.14 million years ago the Valles Caldera volcano erupted, it covered the area with volcanic ash called tuff. Tuff is made from all sort of materials that were mixed together so they don’t all erode the same way. Some erode faster than others. Which in this case, created canyon walls which are full of natural voids. To be honest, it looks like a giant piece of Swiss cheese. Which makes it kind of ironic that it was named after Swiss- American anthropologist Adolph Bandelier by president Woodrow Wilson on Feb 11 1916. Thankfully it was also declared a National Monument at the same time and has been Bandelier National Monument ever since.

When Ancient people arrived here, they realized that they could use the natural voids in the canyon walls to their advantage. Since a lot of the area surrounding the voids was brittle and so they carved some out to build their homes in them. When they encountered hard material, they would break it up and use it as bricks for cliff side homes and kivas.

Why are the ceilings black?

You’ll notice that a lot of the dwellings that were carved in the canyon have blackened ceilings. This is intentional. Being that the rock is extremely brittle, the natives would smoke it to prevent it from chipping, the walls were painted for the same reason. Floors would constantly require maintenance and repairs, as they would wear down quickly from the brittle rock.

Why are there carved round holes everywhere?

Once the population grew, the ancient people started building homes along the side of the canyon. The natives would have dug holes in the canyon walls to help support the beams that would hold a floor for the second or third floor. These beams have been dated between 1383-1466. Resulting in 2-3 level family homes along the canyon cliff that would have been like living in a condo at the time. At it’s peak, the canyon housed more than 500 inhabitants. Each group of inhabitants had their own living area and kiva. The average lifespan was thirty-five years with the women averaging  five feet and the men about five foot six. AS a result, the ceilings on these dwellings may not look very high but they would have easily accommodated the height of the people at the time.

What did the people here do?

The ancient people here cultivated crops such as corn and beans. They also domesticated turkeys and dogs. Turkeys served as food and the feathers were used to create clothes. The dogs served as companions and they helped with hunting.

Artifacts, traded good and construction techniques found at this site indicate the inhabitants were part of a trade network that went as far as Mexico. The Mayas were obsessed about obsidian, it plays a very important part in their culture, yet obsidian simply isn’t available from Mexican sources, they had to trade with places like this one in order to get some. The Mexican tribes would come here to trade things like shells and parrots in exchange for their prized obsidian.

Must see!

One of the most impressive points on this site is the alcove house which holds the ceremonial cave. Since it is located 140ft above the Frijoles canyon, the climb is not recommended for the weak of heart or anyone suffering from vertigo or a fear of heights. It consists of ladders with narrow plateaus and  The ancient people would have climbed to the top without the safety bars in place today and they would have been carrying offerings. They would have come up here to hold ceremonies and councils. Keep in mind that the kiva has been rebuilt to resemble what it would have looked like at the time. However the view from the top, in itself, is worth the climb.

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