Rocktop Ruin

Rocktop Ruin.

Several years ago I came across an interesting complex of ruins at the top of a deep canyon. One of the ruins stood perched atop and fastened to a solid slab of rock. Below the ruin, on the rock, were etched ancient writings.

I longed to descend below the rim of the canyon and investigate this curious little ruin, but there was only one problem. A solid stripe of sheer cliff prevented me from getting down. Yes, it was only about a thirty foot drop, but I had no rope and it was far enough I didn't want to risk trying to climb down.

I could have returned with a rope, but I decided instead (several years later) to tackle the ruin from the bottom. It would require a long drive on a dirt road, and then at least a four-mile hike over rugged terrain. What else would I find?

This ruin was built in the seam of a rock.

It was a perfect fall morning in late October when I set out. Leaves on the few cottonwood trees had turned yellow and the expanse of sky was completely blue.

Just thirty minutes into the hike I entered a short canyon and found a small overhang with ruins inside. The ruins were built inside a seam or crevice of the cliff, one of them out of reach unless you had a ladder. A rudimentary wall was built as a façade to create an enclosure within the crevice.

This canyon was short-lived and I found myself on a ridge, poking my way toward my destination. In the distance I could see my goal, but between me and it were a myriad of canyons and cliffs, and I didn't want to get into a situation that blocked my travel.

I was amazed at the amount of red rocks stewn everywhere on the hilltops. Most of these were fist-sized or smaller, but many were as big as a basketball. I believe they were chert.

Red rocks strewn everywhere.

Twice I came across ground that looked to me like it might contain ruins below the surface. The ground appeared unnatural, usually in mounds. However there was no other evidence, such as arranged rocks or pottery, to confirm that there were buried ruins. I knew that out here there were probably thousands of mysteries below the surface, which will probably be buried forever.

After several hours of meandering over hills and across canyons, I finally found the drainage that correlated with the ruin I was searching for. I followed it up-canyon until finally it came to a steep boulder-strewn hill that led to the ruins. This was the toughest part of the whole hike because not only was the ascent intense, but it also included finding a feasible route to the top.

Working up a hill tangled in brush and boulders. 

I scaled gigantic boulders and scraped my arms pushing through branches of juniper trees. Over the course of the next 45 minutes I slowly worked my way up 700 feet of tangled scrub toward the top. At last I arrived at the ruins.

The structures were built beneath an alcove, with two rooms in the structure, an inside wall separating them. The left room had one window and one short door, with the part of the outside wall that met the cliff no longer extant. Inside, the ceiling and back wall (cliff) were covered in black soot. Above and to the left of the door, embedded into the front wall, was a small square hole. Perhaps this was used as a spy hole, but it was too close to the ceiling to shoot an arrow from. 

Finally at the ruin.

Soot on the inside of the ruin.

In front of the door was a peculiar ring of rocks. They were not mudded together, nor were they partially buried in the ground. Did the Anasazi build this or was it placed together at a later date?

The room on the right side was less impressive. It had one door and nothing else that piqued my interest other than a corn cob that sat on the ground amidst animal droppings.

A curious ring of rocks in front of the ruin.

An 800-year old corn cob. 

The most fascinating part of the complex, however, was the ruin fastened atop the rock. I discovered that this was not a room at all, but more of a façade. I suppose someone could have taken shelter behind it, but that would have made no sense since they could just as easily have gone inside a room. The rock seemed to have another mysterious purpose.

The wall was very well crafted, with mud adhering the individual rocks. It was obvious that fingers were used smooth the mud while it was wet.

Adding to the mystique of this wall were the petroglyph figurines carved into the rock it sat on. The dominant feature was two vertical zig-zag lines. Between the two lines were two four-legged animals and what looked to me like a bird man. The images above them appeared like an insect flying, an indistinguishable marking, and three claw-like scratches. Of course, all these could have been something completely different than what I perceived them to be. As to what they meant, I wasn't even going to begin to attempt a guess.

In addition to those markings, there were others on the rock that appeared like a four-horned animal, an anthropomorphic man, a fat bird, as well as several other small or faint etchings. The combination of the non-practical wall with the enigmatic writings created a captivating subject. Could this have served a ceremonial or religious purpose?

Rocktop ruin (with a wide-angle lens).

Close-up of the petroglyphs.

I mentioned how I came across this ruin several years ago from the top. It is interesting to note that on the mesa, not too far from this alcove, is the rubble from several circular and square structures. I would dare say it was the dwelling for a very small village, or perhaps several families or a clan. The circular foundations could have been part of a tower. What was the relationship between the ruins above and the ruins below?

The inhabitants of these ancient dwellings, whom I prefer to call Anasazi, were a fascinating group of people. Their ruins are scattered everywhere in the canyons and on the mesas of this beautiful area that I call home. We like to speculate on who they were and what their lives were like, but I honestly believe that we know only a fraction of the truth. ♠

House with a view!

It was dark by the time I arrived in camp. (This picture was taken an hour before I got  back.)