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Hi, I'm Brigitte, I'm Margaret, and I'm Drew, and we're your Youth In Park Rangers.
We're going to be taking you to all of the National Parks in the state of New Mexico.
Today we're headed to:
Bandelier National Monument
Drew: Frijoles Canyon, where the trail and visitor center is located, has long been home
to the Ancestral Puebloan people.
The creek running through the canyon sustains life throughout the region and served as a
reliable water source for the Puebloans who used to inhabit the region.
The entire canyon is full of evidence of earlier lifestyles.
This area is remarkable in that it contains relics of hunter and gatherer societies roving
through the area in addition to small housing units and large Pueblos
It's amazing that this one area experienced the transition from nomadic lifestyles to
living in a Pueblo Community.
Behind me are the pueblo ruins of Tyuonyi and as you can see the trail takes visitors
through the ruins.
Visitors have a chance to walk through the ruins and observe the ruins up close before
making their way up to the cliff houses that are part of Bandelier National Monument.
Brigitte: My favorite part here at Bandelier National Monument are these caves that you
can walk in!
Along the Main Loop Trail you can climb in to the caves that were originally dug out
of the cliff wall.
The cliff wall is made out of tuff, a light porous rock formed by volcanic ash.
The ceilings of these cavates were plastered or painted on by the Ancestral Puebloans who
lived there.
In order to make the tuff less crumbly, the ceilings were smoke-blackened.
The caves are facing south in order to maximize the most amount of sunlight for heat in the
winter.
Small fires may have also been used inside. Chimneys were dug in the top of the cave so
the smoke could escape.
Most cavates had small masonry buildings constructed in front of them.
Make sure that you appreciate the caves because they were once somebody's home!
Drew: Farther along the trail, visitors have the opportunity to walk past Long House which
is another set of cliff dwellings.
What separates Long House from the other cliff dwellings is that the Ancestral Puebloans
built rooms against the base of the cliff wall with openings leading in to cliff.
You can guess how tall Long House used to be by looking at the beam holes chiseled in
to the cliff face.
Looking at the ruins makes me wonder how Long House used to look with people going about
their daily lives.
Margaret: Here, at the end of the trail that originates at the Visitor Center, you get
the opportunity to climb up 140 feet of ladders to get to the Alcove House.
To reach the Alcove House you must climb a series of 4 ladders and a few stretches of
stairs.
The views from along the trail are beautiful and the feeling of climbing the ladders is
a truly unique experience.
The Alcove House, formerly known as Ceremonial Cave, is 140 feet above the Frijoles Canyon
floor.
Archaeologists believe it was once home to approximately 25 people.
Imagine climbing these ladders carrying supplies necessary to live in this fascinating place.
It's interesting to question why this Alcove was chosen for inhabitance, what it was used
for, who was allowed access to it, and how many other alcoves like it there are throughout
the park.
Once at the top of the trail you get the opportunity to see the ceremonial chamber.
You are allowed to go down in to a roughly recreated chamber and experience a place fairly
similar to what Ancient Puebloans experienced so many years ago.
Excavated in 1908, the chamber held perfectly preserved matting, red corn and other materials
which signify that this was a sacred place for the peoples who inhabited this canyon.
Imagine living in this amazing room.
It's interesting to imagine why such a location was chosen to hold these inhabitants and structures.
Was it for safety and defense purposes?
Was it for the spectacular views?
Was it because water used to flow near this area?
Maybe the reason is one we may never understand.
If you're up for the climb, I strongly recommend the hike as I think the Alcove House is one
of the coolest attractions at Bandelier National Monument.
Drew: From Walking through ruins to climbing through caves, we had a lot of fun at Bandelier
National Monument. We hope to see you here soon!