Route 66, Arizona to Aztec Ruins, New Mexico

Route 66 in Williams Arizona, just south of the Grand Canyon.  

The things you'd expect to find.

Seemingly poised for a photo.

Descending south in Arizona, around Sedona, it becomes hotter and dryer.

On to the Aztec Ruins.  The name is a misnomer.  Not built by the Aztecs of Central America but by the Pueblo people, early settlers mistaken associated with the Aztecs.  

We visit the reconstructed Great Kiva that served as a community meeting place and sanctuary.

Earl H. Morris, an archeologist from New York's American Museum of National History, supervised the reconstruction of this Kiva in the 1930s.  Now I wonder about how it might have been used ceremonially as we pass under the squares of light.

Wandering through a "great house" a multi-storied, connected building where people lived.

Neal, amongst the ruins of a great house.

Though lotted before it was protected as a national monument, portions of the original structure remain.  Passing through these doors, we wonder if the early Pueblo were short or they contracted low passages for some other reason.

Gwen at the end of a "hallway"

This is an original ceiling we pass under.  The dry weather has helped to preserve it.
Some earlier visitors have left graffiti.  

When we ask Phillip what he did today, he says, "I did what sister did."

The rooms can be clearly seen here, behind Gwen.  

This archeological site is a hidden gem worth seeing - larger than some more popular sites.  It has much in common with Chaco Canyon but is easily accessible.

Scientists are able to use the timbers used in construction to determine when the  structures were built.  Outer ring dates of beams indicate the ruins where built in two phases - one around 1111 AD and another around 1118 AD.  They can also determine how long the structures were occupied by dating the timbers that were used for repairs these were added from a tree cut in 1269AD.  They are not sure why the site was abandoned after this but speculate, drought or, political, religious or social issues.