Existing comment:
Life and Death at Tuzigoot
The southern Sinagua Indian tribes -- as other cultures before and after -- left behind a wealth of information about themselves in what they threw away. This hillside pictured above and the one opposite on the west slope were trash sites which have yielded valuable clues about Sinagua customs and lifestyles.
We know they planted crops of squash, corn and beans; used wild grasses for dyes, medicines and weaving materials; hunted game animals with obsidian-tipped arrows; and produced a rock-tempered, plain brown pottery.
Few adults lived beyond age 40. When they died, they were buried in the hillsides with only a few personal possessions. Generally, their heads were covered with rush matting and their bodies wrapped in cotton cloths. At Tuzigoot, 408 such burials have been found. |