Laura’s Journal: Wupatki National Monument

Posted on by snukes
These blocks are so big and so square, surely humans must have somehow been involved? No? They’re all natural?
Oh THERE’s the thing that people built. Guess that was kind of hard to miss.
“Here are some really incredible rocks. I bet we can improve on them a little. And also live in them.”
I am not wrong, comparing these to Medieval castles.
Those rocks, though! ❤
Black volcanic sand, red sandstone.

Thursday, April 22, 2021

WUPATKI NATIONAL MONUMENT

Driving from the highway to the visitor’s center, I was struck by the incredible color contrasts in the landscape. The ground is covered with black volcanic sand, and bright orange sandstone pokes through along every ridge.

The ruins at Wupatki are even more striking because so магу of the sandstone clusters appear man-made at a glance, then resolve back into natural features at close inspection. Then suddenly you come around a corner and there is an actual three-story castle jutting out of the rocks. More interesting, Dustin pointed out that the age of these ruins is right on par with the castles of medieval Europe. I’ve had very little exposure to the histories of non-nomadic Native cultures, and so am grateful for this opportunity for insight.

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