Tucked into cool recesses of erosion-carved caves high above Arizona’s Tonto Basin stand long deserted cliff dwellings of the ancient Salado people. From about A.D. 1050 until approximately 1450, the Salado culture thrived in this valley where the Tonto Creek joins the Salt River. Around 1300, people of the Salado culture spread out from the valley onto hillside slopes, plateaus and caves. Today wind, sun, desert creatures and visitors roam through the mud-plastered structures built by the Salado people, but long ago the hillsides bustled with human life. No one knows for certain why some groups of Salado moved into caves, but it is widely accepted that a growing population and shrinking resources forced the Salado to move upward, into the hillsides. The Salado left no written records; their stories had to be told through careful archeological investigation and studies of the skillfully painted pottery, woven fabrics, and other physical remains they left behind. These materials lay undisturbed for centuries among the ruins and beneath the surface of the rugged terrain. The site containing them is a jewel in our nation’s historical crown. Yet it was nearly lost when progress, ignorance, greed and a lack of national policies to protect historic places like this conspired to threaten the Salado stories. [Saving a National Treasure]
It’s wonderful workslike this that are lost… and we regret it later. I’m continually surprised that Petra survived. And considering Amerca’s thurst for updating… and destroying, it’s large a wonder the work that the Saldado hasn’t been destroyed already. Go to tthe site for a lot of great information and some good pictures.
Tags: History, Knowledge, Nature
