Rattlesnake Point Ruins

 

Rattlesnake Point Ruins

At the far end of Lyman Lake State Park, lies some ancient pueblo ruins.  The name of this small village is Rattlesnake Point.  It was occupied by ancestors of modern Pueblo Indians.  This village was used by the Pueblo Indians from about AD 1325 to 1390.  It was home to about 15 families, and in total, there are between 80 and 90 ruins.  However, only 3 rooms have been excavated by archeologists at Arizona State University.  To protect them, they are under the cover of a shaded pavilion. 

This room appears to have been used as a storage room for ceremonial or religious items or as a place where preparations for ceremonies took place.  There were few artifacts found in this room.  If you look to the far (outside) wall, you can see some stones that archeologists felt could have been an altar.  A painted sandstone fragment was found that was used at Hopi pueblos.  The room was otherwise empty when found, which may indicate that the residents took everything that was in this room with them when they left.

This section of the pueblo appears to have been built around AD 1328 and is thought to have been a sort of living room used for cooking, eating, manufacture of some tools and some food storage.  Remains of woven matting also seems to indicate it was used for sleeping as well.

This third excavated room seems to have primarily been used for food storage.  In the lower left area of the building used to be a stone with a design chiseled or pecked into it.  It’s not visible any longer from any angle I could get to, but archeologists think that stone was perhaps used as somewhat of a cornerstone.

These images are of some of the pottery shards (upper left) and pieces of flint (lower right) that can be seen at the base of the area where a kiva had been discovered.  The archeologists filled in the kiva area, as it was open to the elements, and they felt it could be better preserved if it was refilled.

This lovely view, that I thought of as “just a pond” was a part of the fields in which the ancient Pueblo Indians grew grain and other crops.  It’s really quite peaceful here with the mountain reflected in the still waters.

And, finally, this view is from what I believe to be the front area of the pueblo.  I may have inadvertently been standing on part of the pueblo itself, since what they have determined is the complete outline of the pueblo has not been marked off in any way.  If I was standing on ancient ruins, I certainly apologize.

Enjoy!