Eagar, AZ, May 25

Another day for ancient pueblo ruins. Started with a guided tour of Casa Malpais. This was a huge pueblo, and had a rectangular kiva. There were also stones and petroglyphs aligned to the solstices (or so it appears). This pueblo was probably a trading center based on the location and the variety of artifacts found there. A small portion of it is excavated, with some restoration, but a lot of it is being left as is out of respect for the modern Hopi and Zuni who trace their ancestors to the site and believe their spirits are still there.

Second excursion of the day was to the Sipe Wildlife Viewing Area. We didn't see any wildlife--just lots of scat--but beautiful scenery and another ancient pueblo. This one wasn't excavated at all. It was also much smaller, probably only 6-8 families lived there.

It's not clear why either was abandoned, but likely draught forced then to leave.

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