B&W Photo challenge, No. 3. This is my entry for Day 3 of Robert L Patricks black and white photography challenge. These shots were taken in Yavapai County, Arizona. About twenty miles south of Sedona is a bone-white limestone mesa. The climb to the top isnt too strenuous, but I was warned to look out for rattlesnakes on the trail, and a bit disappointed I didnt see any. Susan Williams keeps reminding me to be careful what I wish for. At the mesas top are the jumbled remains of a large pueblo, constructed by Sinaguan people about 1000 years ago. The ruins have been looted by artifact hunters, but the site has never been systematically excavated, and none of the pueblo rooms have been stabilized or restored. The site doesnt seem to be a typical Sinaguan dwelling place. Some scholars have suggested that it was a sort of training facility for Sinaguan holy men, an idea reinforced by its proximity to an important petroglyph site with unusual astronomical images. I like to think of this mesa as a sort of seminary or school for shamans. The Sinaguan people were likely the ancestors of modern day Hopi Indians. Hopi elders are somewhat reluctant to discuss this site. When asked why it was abandoned they cryptically say, Its not abandoned, just temporarily not in service. If you visit here someday you will notice that the paths are all covered with bits of broken pottery and flints used to make arrow points. It is illegal and unethical to collect artifacts on public lands, and in general I dont think they should even be touched or picked up. Here so many pieces get washed onto the trails by heavy rains, you need to either pick them up and move them or crush them underfoot. The few visitors to the mesa usually place the potsherds on rocks along the paths. Tomorrow: Petroglyphs!
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 00:09:51 +0000