Hovenweep National Monument is located on land in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah, between Cortez, Colorado and Blanding, Utah on the Cajon Mesa of the Great Sage Plain. Shallow tributaries run through the wide and deep canyons into the San Juan River.Hovenweep Visitor Guide, National Park Service. Retrieved 9-20-2011.
Although Hovenweep National Monument is largely known for the six groups of Ancestral Puebloan villages and its kiva, there is evidence of occupation by hunter-gatherers from 8,000 to 6,000 B.C. until about AD 200. Later, a succession of early puebloan cultures settled in the area and remained until the 14th century.
Hovenweep became a National Monument in 1923 and is administered by the National Park Service. In July 2014, the International Dark-Sky Association designated Hovenweep an International Dark Sky Park.
History
Early people Evidence from the area indicates that there were Paleo-Indians and people of the Archaic period.Gibbon, Guy E.; Ames, Kenneth M. Archaeology of Prehistoric Native America: An Encyclopedia. 1998. p. 377. .Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico, United States Office. Draft environmental statement on the CO2 project, Wasson field/Denver unit, 1979. 2–56. During the transitional period from a traditional hunter-gatherer society to pueblo people, there were several distinct cultural changes:Wenger, Gilbert R. The Story of Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde Museum Association, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, 1991 [1st edition 1980]. pp. 27–38. .
Early hunters Hunter-gatherers from 10,000 years Before Present hunted and lived in a difficult terrain, traversed deep canyons and areas of few animals and limited vegetation, and managed limited access to water – which made life difficult and limited the size of their hunt groups. They were adaptive to find sufficient food, supplementing their diet with nuts, seeds and fruit from wild plants.Wenger, Gilbert R. The Story of Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde Museum Association, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, 1991 [1st edition 1980]. p. 27.. Artifacts were found 1) of Paleo-Indians who camped and hunted along the Cajon Mesa of Hovenweep as early as 8,000 BC and 2) from 20 sites with evidence of Archaic-Early Basketmaker people from about 6,000 BC.
Late Basketmaker II period AD 50 to 500 The people living in the Four Corners region were introduced to maize and basketry through Mesoamerican trading about 2,000 years ago. Able to have greater control of their diet through cultivation, the hunter-gatherers lifestyle became more sedentary as small dispersed groups began cultivating maize and squash. They also continued to hunt and gather wild plants.Wenger, Gilbert R. The Story of Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde Museum Association, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, 1991 [1st edition 1980]. pp. 27–30. .
They were named "Basketmakers" for their skill in making baskets for storing food, covering with pitch to heat water, and using to toast seeds and nuts. They wove bags, sandals, belts out of yucca plants and leaves – and strung beads. They occasionally lived in dry caves where they dug pits and lined with stones to store food. These people were ancestors of the pueblo people of the Hovenweep pueblo settlement and Mesa Verde.
Basketmaker III period 500 to 750 The next era, Modified Basketmakers, resulted in the introduction of pottery which reduced the number of baskets that they made and eliminated the creation of woven bags. The simple, gray pottery allowed them a better tool for cooking and storage. Beans were added to the cultivated diet. Bows and arrows made hunting easier and thus the acquisition of hides for clothing. Turkey feathers were woven into blankets and robes. On the rim of Mesa Verde, small groups built pit houses which were built several feet below the surface with elements suggestive of the introduction of celebration rituals.Wenger, Gilbert R. The Story of Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde Museum Association, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, 1991 [1st edition 1980]. 33–37. .
Pueblo I period 750 to 900 From pueblos at Mesa Verde we learn of some advancements during this period which are reflected in the Hovenweep structures built in the next cultural period. Pueblo buildings were built with stone, windows facing south, and in U, E and L shapes. The buildings were placed more closely together and reflected deepening religious celebration. Towers were built near kivas and likely used for look-outs. Pottery became more versatile, not just for cooking, but now included pitchers, ladles, bowls, jars and dishware for food and drink. White pottery with black designs emerged, the pigments coming from plants. Water management and conservation techniques, including the use of reservoirs and silt-retaining dams also emerged during this period.Wenger, Gilbert R. The Story of Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde Museum Association, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, 1991 [1st edition 1980]. pp. 39–45. .
Ancient Puebloan people Pueblo II period – 900–1150 About 900, the number of Hovenweep residential sites increased. Like the people at Mesa Verde and Canyon de Chelly National Monument, about 1100 the Hovenweep village communities moved from mesa tops to the heads of canyons.Rohn, Arthur H.; Ferguson, William M. Puebloan ruins of the Southwest. University of New Mexico Press, 2006. p. 146. .
People, generally considered part of the Mesa Verde branch of the northern San Juan Pueblo (Anasazi) culture,Gibbon, Guy E.; Ames, Kenneth M. Archaeology of Prehistoric Native America: An Encyclopedia. 1998. p. 375. .Wenger, Gilbert R. The Story of Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde Museum Association, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, 1991 [1st edition 1980]. p. 7. . transitioned from disperse housing and built pueblos in the late 12th century alongside springs or other water sources near or at the canyon heads. Most of the pueblo building was conducted, about the same time as the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings, between 1230 and 1275 when there were about 2,500 residents.History & Culture. National Park Service. Retrieved 9-20-2011. The Hovenweep architecture and pottery was like that of Mesa Verde.Rohn, Arthur H.; Ferguson, William M. Puebloan ruins of the Southwest. University of New Mexico Press, 2006. p. 148. .
Pueblo III period – 1150–1350 The Hovenweep inhabitants completed construction over a period of time. Buildings with one story towers were built about 1000. By about 1160, they began building larger pueblo residential complexes, up to 3-story towers, dams, and reservoirs.Gibbon, Guy E.; Ames, Kenneth M. Archaeology of Prehistoric Native America: An Encyclopedia. 1998. p. 375, 377. . They moved their fields into areas where water could be controlled. They also built large stone towers, living quarters and other shelters to safeguard springs and seeps. The stone course pueblos and towers of the Hovenweep people exhibit expert masonry skills and engineering. The builders did not level foundations for their structures, but adapted construction designs to the uneven surfaces of rock slabs. These stone pueblos were understandably referred to as castles by 19th-century explorers. Prominent structures are Hovenweep Castle, Hovenweep House, Square Tower, Rim Rock House, Twin Towers, Stronghold House and Unit-type house. These structures are part of larger community pueblos that surround the heads of canyons where springs are located.Little Ruin Canyon Trail Guide. National Park Service. Retrieved 9-20-2011.Cutthroat Castle Group. National Park Service. Retrieved 9-20-2011.
Two murals from Hovenweep were excavated and conserved prior to area construction. The kiva murals, which provide great insight into the life of the Ancient people, are now at the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum. Warren Hurley describes them as "some of the best preserved examples of Pueblo III wall paintings in the Northern San Juan Region".Hurley, Warren F. X. (2000). A Retrospective on the Four Corners Archeological Program. National Park Service. Page 3. Retrieved 10-15-2011.
Six clusters of pueblo buildings Cajon Group, constructed like the Holly, Hackberry and Horseshoe configuration, is at the head of Allen Canyon. It consists of a cluster of room blocks and the remains of a tower, estimated to house 80–100 people, that was constructed on a boulder that sits below the rim of the canyon.Cajon Group. National Park Service. Retrieved 9-20-2011.Winter, Joseph C. "Hovenweep 1974". Archaeological Report No. 1, Anthropology Department, San Jose State University, San Jose, California, 1975. There are up to seven kiva depressions around the spring. Remnants of wall alignments below the rim on the talus represent possible terrace farming.Winter, Joseph. (1976). Hovenweep 1975 Archeological Report no.2 San Jose, CA: Anthropology Dept, San Jose State University.
Cutthroat Castle group is in an offshoot of Hovenweep Canyon. Cutthroat Castle, the largest of the remains, is on the north side of the stream. Cutthroat is unique among the units due to the lack of a spring, the numerous kivas and the fact that much of the architecture sits below the rim.Ferguson, William. (1987). Anasazi Ruins of the Southwest in Color Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press .
Goodman Point group, the largest and easternmost village, contains small and large clusters of pueblo buildings built partially underground. It was most heavily populated in between 1150–1300, the Pueblo III period. Earlier residents include Basketmakers from 200–450 and during the second Pueblo period 900–1150.Goodman Point. National Park Service. Retrieved 9-20-2011.
The Holly group is at the head of Keeley Canyon.Holly Ruin. National Park Service. Retrieved 9-20-2011. Holly is the site known for a rock art panel that has been interpreted as a summer solstice marker.Frazier, Kendrick. People of Chaco: A Canyon and Its Culture. W.W. Norton and Company, New York, 1986. p. 200. . The five named buildings at the site are Curved Wall House, Great House, Holly Tower, Isolated Boulder House and Tilted Tower.Rohn, Arthur H.; Ferguson, William M. Puebloan ruins of the Southwest. University of New Mexico Press, 2006. p. 153. .
Hackberry and Horseshoe group Hackberry was a medium sized Pueblo III village in the east fork of Bridge Canyon.Rohn, Arthur H.; Ferguson, William M. Puebloan ruins of the Southwest. University of New Mexico Press, 2006. p. 157. . About 250 to 350 inhabitants are thought to have resided in the Hackberry Group. Located about 500 yards/metres away, the Horseshoe group consists of four pueblo buildings that form a U-shape.Horseshoe and Hackberry Groups. National Park Service. Retrieved 9-20-2011. Horseshoe Ruin had a dam at the rim to create a reservoir. Horseshoe House is a D-shaped structure containing three rooms surrounding a possible central kiva. The architectural style suggests ceremonial or public use. About 800 years ago the buildings were constructed with "precisely fit" stones and set with mortar of sand, ash, clay and water.