Existing comment:
War or Peace?
The Island Trail circles a promontory called Third Fort. On top are ruins of a fortified compound protected by outlying walls. A similar site farther down the canyon is guarded by a five-foot-high wall over 100 feet long. But are these actually defensive sites?
The first archeologists to study the ruins thought so, but later investigators turned up little evidence of actual warfare. Since so few sites were left intact by early pothunters, their true functions may never be known.
One of the only hints of violence is a burial excavated near the visitor center. The bones are of a woman in her 30s. When the archeologist brushed away the dirt covering the rib cage, he discovered an arrowhead. The glassy black point had an unusual shape, unlike those made by the people who lived here. |