Wupatki
National Monument
Arizona
Established: December 9, 1924
35,422 acres
Annual Visitors: 205,122 (in 2018)
Official Site: https://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wupatki_National_Monument
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WupatkiNPS
The Wupatki National Monument is a United States National Monument located in north-central Arizona, near Flagstaff. Rich in Native American ruins, the monument is administered by the National Park Service in close conjunction with the nearby Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Wupatki was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The listing included three contributing buildings and 29 contributing structures on 35,253.2 acres (14,266.5 ha). (Wikipedia)
National Parks & Monuments in Distress: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
https://sites.google.com/view/nationalmonumentsindanger/nps/sunset-crater-volcano-national-monument
National Parks & Monuments in Distress: Walnut Canyon National Monument
https://sites.google.com/view/nationalmonumentsindanger/nps/walnut-canyon-national-monument
National Parks & Monuments in Distress: Tuzigoot National Monument
https://sites.google.com/view/nationalmonumentsindanger/nps/tuzigoot-national-monument
National Parks & Monuments in Distress: Montezuma Castle National Monument
https://sites.google.com/view/nationalmonumentsindanger/nps/montezuma-castle-national-monument
Links
Covering an area of about 40,000 acres (along with two other national monument areas), the grounds are home to a number of surprisingly preserved pueblo ruins. Dating back as far as 500 CE, the site probably saw the largest group of people living here, around 100 or so, soon after the nearby eruption of what is now Sunset Crater, around the late 11th century. Because of the volcanic ash and subsequent nutrients, agriculture boomed in the 12th century. The structures were likely abandoned by 1225.
National Parks Traveler
A Winter Visit to Wupatki National Monument
While cliff dwellings are better known (and good examples can be seen at nearby Walnut Canyon National Monument), free-standing structures such as those found at Wupatki were more commonly built by the Ancient Puebloan peoples. The larger compounds were often three stories high and typically included storage rooms, living areas and underground religious sites known as kivas.
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2008/12/winter-visit-wupatki-national-monument
The Breathing Earth: Wupatki Blowholes (NPS)
As another part of the study, an archeological team noted that many blowhole sites and earth cracks in the monument are associated with prehistoric habitation sites. The frequency of these People and Blowholes associations is thought to be more than coincidental.
What significance might these blowholes and earth cracks have had for early people in the area? Air coming from blowholes is relatively cool in summer and warm in winter, prompting visitors today to suggest that they may have been used as air conditioners or heaters. Or maybe they served as weather predictors. When atmospheric pressure is low (and blowholes are blowing out) there is a greater chance of rain. In this arid land, blowholes may have been powerful and significant indicators of welcome change.
However, there are other possibilities to consider. Descendants of the Wupatki inhabitants still live in northern Arizona. They include the Hopi and Zuni, among others. In Hopi culture there is a story from the Second Mesa village of Shungopovi indicating that blowholes are connected to the supernatural, openings to the wind god, Yaponcha. Perhaps the people living in this area considered the blowholes to have spiritual significance and located some of their homes accordingly. Imagine what you would think of the blowholes if you were not bound by scientific thought.
https://www.nps.gov/wupa/planyourvisit/upload/breathing%20earth%20fourth-2.pdf