Grasshopper Pueblo facts for kids
Grasshopper Pueblo, also known as Grasshopper Ruin, was an important ancient village. People lived here from about 1275 to 1400 CE. It is located on what is now the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in east-central Arizona, USA. This ancient settlement was a melting pot of different cultures. People from Puebloan, Mogollon, and possibly Salado groups lived together here.
When archaeologists first explored the site, they found a very large stone village. It had about 500 rooms! There were also two smaller villages nearby, each with 20 to 30 rooms. The site included special ceremonial rooms called kivas, cooking areas (hearths), open spaces (courtyards), and places where trash was dumped. They also found several cemeteries with buried people and even some buried animals.
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What's in a Name? The Story of Grasshopper Pueblo
There are two interesting ideas about how Grasshopper Pueblo got its name. One story says it was named after an Apache woman. She had a limp, and the local people called her 'Naz-chug-gee', which meant 'Grasshopper'. The other idea is simpler: the area might have just been full of grasshoppers!
The village was built in a beautiful mountain meadow. It sits very high up, about 1,805 meters (5,922 feet) above sea level. A stream called Salt River Draw flows right through the middle of the settlement. This stream might have been used as a natural border between different parts of the village. Some of the buildings even had a second story!
Amazing Discoveries at Grasshopper Pueblo
Archaeologists found something special in the Great Kiva, a large ceremonial building. Its roof, built around 1330, was held up by 12 huge juniper tree posts. This shows how skilled the builders were.
Even more exciting, skeletons of parrots and macaws were found at the site. These birds are not native to Arizona. This discovery tells us that people in the Southwestern United States traded with people in Central America. They likely exchanged valuable items like Turquoise for these exotic birds and other goods, such as copper bells. This shows a wide network of ancient trade routes.
Learning from the Past: The University of Arizona Field School
The University of Arizona set up an Archaeological Field School at Grasshopper Pueblo in 1963. This was a place where students and researchers could learn by doing real archaeological work. Generous donations helped build a kitchen, classrooms, and student housing at the site. The land was leased from the White Mountain Apache tribe for these annual summer digs.
Even famous people visited the school! In 1965, Lynda Bird Johnson, the daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, spent two weeks there as a special student. For many years, researchers studied everything they could find. They looked at the soil, rocks, plants, animal bones, and even tiny bits of pollen. This research led to many important articles, nine doctoral degrees, and two master's degrees. The Field School helped us learn a lot about the people who lived at Grasshopper Pueblo. It finally closed in 1992.
Other Ancient Sites in Arizona
Grasshopper Pueblo is just one of many important archaeological sites in east-central Arizona. Other notable ancient places include Kinishba, Canyon Creek, Forestdale, Point of Pines, and Vernon. Each of these sites helps us understand the rich history of the people who lived in this region long ago.
