Sacred Ridge facts for kids

Sacred Ridge was an ancient village site located about 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Durango, Colorado. It was a large area, covering about 11.6 acres (4.7 ha), and once had the remains of 22 pit houses. These pit houses were homes dug partly into the ground. Today, this entire site is covered by Lake Nighthorse.

This ancient village belonged to the early Pueblo I culture, also known as the Ancestral Puebloans. These were early Native American people who lived in the Southwestern United States. The village was lived in from around 700 CE until about 803 CE. We know the last date because of tree-ring dating, which helps scientists find the age of wood. By 810 CE, the buildings at Sacred Ridge had been burned and left empty.

Studying the Site

Archaeological work at Sacred Ridge happened between 2002 and 2005. This work was done by SWCA Environmental Consultants. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe hired them to study the ancient sites and cultural history.

Most of the sites they studied were in the Ridges Basin. This area was going to be flooded by Lake Nighthorse after the Ridges Basin Dam was finished. Some other sites were on Blue Mesa. This area was used to get dirt and rocks for building the dam. The findings from this important study were later published in a large 16-volume report called "Animas–La Plata Project."

The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe played a big part in the Animas–La Plata Project. They worked with other tribes, talked to the public, and helped with all the archaeological questions. Because of their involvement, the tribe gained the skills to manage the historical and cultural items on their own land. This led to them creating the first Tribal Historic Preservation Office in Colorado.

What We Learned

Scientists believe the village at Sacred Ridge might have been important to other settlements in the Ridges Basin area. Archaeologists think that the violence that happened there was part of a revolt. This might have followed a time when food was very scarce, partly because the climate became much drier.

Returning Ancient Remains

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is a law. It says that any human remains found at Native American sites must be returned to Native American control. This also includes any objects buried with them.

To follow this law, SWCA decided that the closest living relatives to the ancient people found were likely the pueblos of Acoma, Laguna, and Zia. These pueblos are closely connected and all speak Keresan languages. The Pueblo of Acoma offered to lead the effort to rebury the remains, and the other pueblos agreed.

The remains were reburied in three special ceremonies between 2004 and 2010. In total, the remains of 230 individuals from all the sites involved were returned and reburied with respect.