An interpretive slideshow on the Sinagua, ancient people of the Flagstaff area of Arizona.

2. The Hisat’Sinom, commonly called the Sinagua are an ancient
people who lived in the Flagstaff region of Arizona
from the 1100s until the1300s, when they
disappeared as mysteriously as they had
appeared 200 years earlier.

3. One of the most remarkable things about the
Hisat’Sinom is that they appeared seemingly out of
nowhere. There is no prior record of these people in
a different location, yet from the start they had an
advanced and organized culture that included
elements that would not be expected of a newly
established group. They went on to live in the arid
southwestern region as a distinct group for about
200 years before disappearing almost as
mysteriously as they had arrived.
During their time here the
Hisat’Sinom were known
not only as farmers, but as
traders. They traded with
groups from as far away as
Mexico as evidenced by
their ownership of macaws,
and other items including
copper bells (right). This
interaction was also
reflected in their
architecture where they
even went so far as to
include Mexican ball courts

4. The view out,
from inside one
of the pueblos at
Wupatki ruin
makes one
wonder what the
Hisat’Sinom life
was like.
Let’s find
out….

5. Construction of the buildings built by the Hisat’Sinom
wasn’t by mistake. It took a lot of time and
people to construct the structures, many of
which were two and three stories tall. Natural
stone was used and cemented together using
clay to build both the pueblo style homes that
are more widespread, and the cliff dwellings of
Walnut Canyon and the Verde Valley.

6. Montezula’s Castle in the Verde Valley is probably one of
the best known Hisat’Sinom cliff dwellings.

7. This diorama of Montezuma’s Castle gives us a feeling for
what the interior of the building was like when it was
inhabited. The ruin used to be open for tours, but had to
be closed to ensure its continued preservation.

8. Cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon were constructed in naturally
occurring alcoves. Walls were build to close off the front of
these areas and partitions were added between to create
rooms. Hisat’Sinom architecture was always
resourceful, adapted to the location, and full of
ingenuity. Walnut Canyon features cliff dwellings as
well as pueblo, and pit house ruins.

9. Not only are their multi-storied buildings incredible to marvel at, so
too is the workmanship that allows such great portions of them to
continue to stand today. Though some were rebuilt and reinforced
in past years by the National Park Service, they have adopted a
program of preservation instead of intervention, and no longer
rebuild ruins. Modern reinforcements can be seen on this portion
of the Wupatki ruins. In many places original wood poles that
were harvested far away and were brought back specifically for
construction, are still part of the structures.

10. The Hisat’Sinom were skilled farmers, and engaged in dry farming,
using natural swales and washes as places to plant their crops. They
also engaged in terraced farming where they used stone walls which
are still visible today.
Corn was their staple food and much of their daily lives and spiritual
existence revolved around the success of this vital crop. Often beans
were planted with the corn. Planting beans with corn serves to add
protein and more fiber to the diet through intensive cultivation that
does not use more, valuable land resources. Beans could climb the
corn stalks and not require additional
support. They also served to add nitrogen to the soil
which is very quickly depleted by growing corn.

11. This wash at
Box Canyon
was used by
the
Hisat’Sinom
for planting
their crops.
They relied
on monsoon
rains to
provide
enough
water, but
had to hope
the floods
wouldn’t be
powerful
enough to
wash them
away.
Box Canyon
features many
Hisat’Sinom
ruins, three
of which are
accessible
to the
public
today. This
indicates
that the
wash here
was the site
of
successful

12. Once harvested, corn was dried for later use and
stored. The harvest was comprised of three parts;
the corn they planned to eat over the next year,
seed for planting the next season’s crop, and
additional corn as an insurance policy. Farming is
an unpredictable life. The Hisat’Sinom wanted to
ensure that a crop failure wouldn’t mean immediate
starvation.

13. Dried corn was ground
into meal or flour by
women on stones called
metate. Greinding was
hard work and was
typically done in open
plazas where women
could do this chore
together while talking
and singing.
Grinding the corn was
necessary to make the
hard dried corn edible,
but the stone that
became incorperated
with it caused dental
problems later in life for
the Hisat’Sinom.

14. The Hisat’Sinom are
characterized by their simple
brown ware pottery (left).
The distinctive color came
from the soils of their region
that were used in creating
the pots.
While they as a rule, did not adorn their
own pottery, they often traded with other
groups

15. This piece of Hisat’Sinom pottery is shown with
pieces of volcanic rock from the Sunset region to
demonstrate where the color of the pottery
comes from.

16. The Hisat’Sinom were skilled
weavers who used the
abundantly growing yucca to
make a variety of goods like this
sandal.

17. But where did the flourishing trade culture go?

18. The Hisat’Sinom were resourceful
survivalists who flourished under harsh
conditions in the prehistory southwest.
After Sunset Volcano erupted and
covered the area in ash, they returned
to their homes and rebuilt. Records
indicate that the volcano was active
leading up to the explosion the created
Sunset Crater, and that they had
warning of the impending event.
Valuable beams were removed from
homes and reused when they rebuilt
after the event. Corn was also left as
an offering to the gods behind the
feeling people. Where lava covered
these ears of corn, casting were
created (right).

19. If the eruption of a volcano couldn’t drive the Hisat’Sinom
away, what could? We may never know the true answer to
why these people left, or where they went, but there are
some theories that offer good explanations…

20. One possibility is that increasingly dry weather drove them from the area.

21. Continual drought may have been
a contributing factor in the
Hisat’Sinom leaving their
communities of the Flagstaff area.
Although they were also traders,
they were primarily farmers and
relied on their corn crops to
survive. Several years of poor
crops would certainly have made
life difficult, and probably led
many to look for other places to
live that wouldn’t be as harsh.

22. Undoubtedly some would have
stayed behind to try and tough it
out. The desert was home to
these people, and they had
adapted to it.

23. But what if there were another
reason to leave?

24. Some have suggested that continual weather change may
not have been the only reason. Perhaps the Hisat’Sinom
emigrated for a higher purpose. Some say that they left
specifically to integrate with other people of the
southwest on a great quest to peacefully become one
people. While this sounds like it might be one of those too
good to be true stories, there is some archaeological and
anthropological evidence to back up this theory.

25. This petroglyph at Wupatki is a snake symbol that looks
almost identical to the Hopi Snake Clan Symbol. Is it
possible that the people of Wupatki left this, the only
petroglyph there as a lasting reminder of where they went?

26. Modern Hopis often recognize symbols of the Hisat’Sinom and can
tell of their significance to their own culture. Through their
interpretations, the picture of who the Sinagua were has become
much more clear to anthropologist. Is it possible that these people
could also be the descendants of those people? The Hopi don’t
claim the Hisat’ Sinom to be their ancestors, but certainly are
aware of them and their traditions. Perhaps we will never know.

27. Wupatki Ruin, Wupatki NM

28. Cliff Dwellings along the Island Trail,
Walnut Canyon NM

30. Cheek, Lawrence W. A.D. 1250. Arizona Highways.
1994. Print.
Downum, Christian E. Hisat’Sinom; Ancient Peoples in a
Land without Water. Sar Press. 2012. Print.
Houk, Rose. Sinagua: Prehistoric Cultures of the
Southwest. Western National Parks Association. 1992.
Print.
Malotki, Ekkehart. Earth Fire: A Hopi Legend of the
Sunset Crater Eruption. Kiva Publishing Inc. 2005. Print.
Reid, Jefferson and Stephanie Whittlesey. The
Archaeology of Ancient Arizona. University of Arizona
Press. 1997. Print.
Sources

31. At the Edge of the Volcano. Camera One.
2012. DVD.
Ancient Indian Cultures of Northern Arizona.
Gilbert Urias. 2005. DVD
Museums at Wupatki NM, Sunset Crater NM,
Walnut Canyon NM, and Monetezuma’s Castle
NM
Additional Resources:
Vick, Helen Hughes. Walker of Time. Tayolor
Trade Publishing. 1998. Print.