Existing comment:
The Tangible Past:
At first look, the only things the Sinagua left behind are empty rooms tucked under ledges in an empty canyon. But soon other clues to the lives of these ancient people begin to emerge.
Fingerprints are still visible in the clay plaster that dried eight centuries ago; the walls still smoke-blackened from ancient cooking fires. Excavations have uncovered other evidence. In one room, the floor consists of ten clay layers. Sandwiched between each are accumulations of ash and refuse. Apparently it was easier to lay a new floor than sweep the old one. Archeologists also found cane cigarettes, some still packed with charred tobacco, in the abandoned rooms. |