Ancient Pueblo Indians Carved Stairs Into Volcanic Tuff for this 200-Foot Cliff City in New Mexico

New Mexico’s Ancient Sky City

Part of the Pajarito Plateau, near Española, sits the remarkable Puye Cliff Dwellings on Santa Clara Pueblo land, which became home to the ancient Pueblo tribe.

The site is massive, stretching 2,100 feet along two cliff levels and covering 950 acres on the mesa top, with more than 700 rooms. Since becoming a National Historic Landmark in 1966, this incredible piece of Native American history has drawn over 25,000 visitors to its marvelous walls.

The Name ‘Puye’ Has a Deep Cultural Meaning

The Santa Clara Pueblo has a rich tradition of storytelling and oral history, which preserves much of the community’s ancient practices.

In the Tewa language, ‘Puye’ means ‘pueblo ruin where the rabbits assemble or meet’. Black-tailed jackrabbits were once so plentiful here that they became a crucial food source for the ancient inhabitants.

Carved into volcanic tuff, scientists exploring the southern cliff face found different rabbit designs on the rock walls. Another excavation revealed eastern trash mounds with rabbit bones dating back 1400 CE.

The Dwellings Feature an Ancient ‘Apartment Complex’

The Community House on the mesa top is a multi-story complex reflecting early Pueblo architecture. Etched into volcanic rock, the south portion has 173 ground-floor rooms (around 88 square feet). That’s small by modern standards.

The rooms were often built around central courtyards, which allowed for community interaction and socializing. You might come across a ponderosa pine ladder if you’re lucky. The builders used talus to construct the front facades of the dwellings.

To handle the desert rains, they created air shafts and drainage channels throughout the building. They often mixed in yucca fibers for strength. The site also features stairways and paths that connect to different levels.

Ancient Solar Calendar Still Functions Today

At many ancient Puebloan sites, sunlight and shadow patterns were key to marking seasonal events. Environmental cues (such as plant behavior and weather patterns) were tell-tale signs for change.

These markers helped farmers know exactly when to plant corn, beans, and squash (the ‘Three Sisters’). Modern scientists have tested these markers and found they’re still amazingly accurate, off by only 0.3 degrees after nearly 1,000 years.

The morning sun still lines up perfectly with the main marker at exactly 5:48 AM on the summer solstice.

The Site Contains Hidden Underground Ceremonial Chambers

At least two subterranean ceremonial chambers (kivas) have been identified at the base of the cliffs at Puye Cliff Dwellings. The design of kivas often includes a central fire pit and a ventilation system to manage airflow and smoke.

The builders also designed the walls in a way that kept the oxygen level optimum. The layout of Puebloan villages often incorporates communal spaces and ceremonial areas.

While most kivas remain closed to protect their sacred nature, new technology helped scientists discover four more hidden chambers under the mesa top in 2019.

Innovative Water Management Systems Protected the Community

The Puebloans cultivated a wide range of crops, including corn, beans, and squash, relying on stored water to irrigate their fields.

In a place that only gets 13.8 inches of rain each year, the ancient builders carved angled channels, deep dams, and wide terraces to collect and redirect rainwater into large storage tanks that could hold 4,800 gallons.

They further used natural depressions or carved cisterns to store water. Features like terraces and berms were often built to slow down the flow of water.

Today, you can still see three main reservoirs, each able to hold 2,000 gallons. This brilliant water system helped 1,500 people farm 950 acres of land, capturing 85% of all rainfall.

The Dwellings Housed a Thriving Textile Industry

The people of Puye were master weavers who produced impressive fabric every year.
Archaeologists have found 847 weaving tools scattered throughout the dwellings (312 spinning weights, 156 weaving sticks, and 379 bone needles).

They created beautiful patterns using different colors from local plants and minerals (such as indigo, marigold, and sumac).

They traded cotton, yucca, and wool textiles with people up to 400 miles away (from the American Southwest to Mesoamerica), receiving turquoise, volcanic glass, and seashells as compensation.

Natural Air Conditioning Kept Dwellings Comfortable

The ancient builders were climate control experts. Volcanic rock naturally keeps heat and cold at bay, with an insulation rating of 1.4 per inch. They built 85% of the rooms facing south, with precise roof overhangs that block hot summer sun but let in warm winter light.

The dwellings’ placement within cliffs naturally shielded them from extreme winds while allowing for some ventilation. They further built small openings or gaps, to manage airflow. Scientists have tested these rooms in 2020 and found they still stay up to 40 degrees cooler than outside.

Evidence Shows Advanced Medical Knowledge

The ancient healers of Puye were highly skilled doctors. Scientists have found 234 tools used for making medicine, including 78 grinding stones with traces of 24 different healing plants, and 46 specialized bone tools for preparing remedies.

They used Mormon tea, osha root, and yerba mansa. They could fix broken bones with yucca fiber splints, treat infections with antibacterial juniper bark, and help long-term health problems through special diets. Old preserved waste material shows they regularly made healing teas using at least 12 different kinds of plants.

The Site Features Prehistoric Highways

The Ancestral Puebloans built extensive road networks, particularly around cliff dwellings and trade centers. These well-built paths include stone stairs, handholds, and switchbacks carved into the cliffs.

The cliffside trails were essential for daily movement and possibly for defensive purposes. Petroglyphs are present at Puye Cliff Dwellings and may have served symbolic or communicative purposes.

Recently, using ground-penetrating radar or LiDAR technology, scientists discovered 12 more miles of hidden paths spreading out from Puye.

Astronomical Events Were Tracked Through Rock Art

The cliff walls feature intricate carvings that track stars and planets with remarkable precision, showing where Venus, the Pleiades star cluster, and other celestial bodies are.

Various petroglyphs have been found to align with celestial events such as solstices and lunar phases, suggesting a sophisticated understanding of astronomy.

One amazing carving shows the bright explosion of a star that created the Crab Nebula in 1054 CE. Computer programs have proven that 92% of these star markers line up exactly where they should.

The Site Survived a Major Volcanic Event

The Puye cliff dwellings were inhabited for several centuries, and the people likely adapted to environmental challenges, including volcanic ash fallout from nearby Jemez volcano (including eruptions from the El Cajete vent).

Scientists can match the ash layer’s chemicals to the El Cajete Pyroclastic Beds, proving which volcano it came from.

The community not only survived but thrived for another 323 years after the eruption. They even turned the challenge into an opportunity by mixing volcanic ash into their building materials to make them stronger.