During this past summer I inadvertently found myself in the four corners and adventuring to find my ancients. If you would like to know how I ended up here and the posts that I wrote up to this point take a look at the following:
Come Along With Me ---> To The Southern Ute Tribe North Native American Museum!
Exploring The Four Corners ---> Hovenweep Castle, Canyon Of The Ancients!
This isn't a series per say, but my own personal journal if you will -- that will become a part of my book someday soon. As I continued on my journey to find my ancients in an area of the USA called the four corners I came upon an area called the Canyon of the Ancients.
The time was right and it was time to do some exploring. What else is there in this life but to explore, right? I hadn't known there were other archeological sites other than Chimney Rock and Mesa Verde, which I had visited over the past two years so to find this area was a pleasant surprise.
The second site I decided to visit was Lowry Ruins and I will try not to get too sensitive over who "discovered" this area and just present the information, since I was very joyous at the time to have found a connection to my people. Walking the land of your ancients is a special gift indeed.
For me, it was slightly sad to know what this area must have looked like in it's original build, but I was very appreciative that what was left was there for me to see and touch. These past few months have been very tactile and I seem to just want to touch everything that holds a special meaning.
As I walked around the remains of the Lowry Pueblo I found these lovely signs posted around giving some history, and it didn't matter if the history was true or not at that moment, it was a moment in my life that I felt a calm peace envelop all of my senses.
The day was extremely hot and dry, so plenty of water was needed. This area didn't have a bathroom so good thing I went before this short hike. If you are ever in this area bathrooms are few and far between. Bring gallons of water if you have the capability and remember that this is an area where you may not realize dehydration sits in fast. Human sweat is dry and can be very deceiving. Be prepared.
The feelings I can use to describe this area are the stone sang to me. I literally heard them calling me to touch them and feel their vibration. I'm not sure if anyone else has ever felt a land and area call to them, and if you have I'd love to hear your experience in the comment section.
According to Trail Of The Ancients website this is some of the facts related to this site:
Lowry Pueblo had a total of about 40 rooms and 8 kivas at its peak in the early 11th century, and was home to approximately 100 people. The pueblo was arranged in a roughly rectangular block, with some portions reaching as high as three stories. A great kiva, constructed outside the eastern limits of the village, is nearly 50 feet in diameter.
Going inside the structure itself was fascinating and on a hot day it was as cool as a spring morning. There was a fresh smell of sage and the ancient fire-pit was still alive and well.
Some of the work being done over the past 40 years as stated by Colorado Encyclopedia has been the following:
In 1974–75 the BLM again contracted with the University of Colorado–Boulder to perform excavation and stabilization work at the ruin. The team, led by David A. Breternitz and the field directors Al Lancaster and Larry V. Nordby, included students from Boulder, Fort Lewis College, and Northern Arizona University.
They re-excavated many areas Martin had backfilled in the 1930s, including the Great Kiva, and performed dozens of structural repairs throughout the room block. They also added a roof over some parts of the ruin for protection. More stabilization and repairs were necessary in the late 1970s, early 1980s, and early 1990s.Today, the area is a learning center for archeology students.
As some of you may know, I get these spiritual messages that tell me to go certain places and most times I have no idea where the whispers will lead me. Well, it led me to a magnificent place this time, a Great Kiva. There are quite a few arguments between how many Great Kiva's are still in existence and what makes a kiva great.
The best explanation I could find was from a four corners expert, Crow Canyon's website:
A great kiva is a large, circular, usually subterranean or semisubterranean structure that was used by Pueblo Indians for important events such as ceremonies or political gatherings. Great kivas are one of the earliest examples of what archaeologists refer to as "public architecture." They are distinguished from ordinary kivas by their large size (more than 100 square meters in area), distinctive floor features (such as foot drums), and artifacts (for example, large serving bowls) that reflect communal feasting as opposed to everyday food preparation and consumption by the members of a household.
Great kivas continued to be built and used in the Mesa Verde region throughout the subsequent Pueblo I, II, and III periods, until the Pueblo people left the area in the late A.D. 1200s. Archaeologists have documented a few great kivas dating from the early A.D. 1300s in areas farther south, but, for the most part, this architectural form was discontinued after the massive population movements of the late thirteenth century.
One of the coolest things I found was the original documents submitted to the U.S. federal government government and schematics from the site. Serious deterioration occurred since then, but it must have been a fascinating structure to come upon in 1962.
Hopefully, you've stuck with me until the end and one thing I did submit to a contest regarding extraterrestrials was my perspective on the Ant People and their relation to my Hopi lineage. Some of the photos within the Great Kiva looked to me like these creatures, if you look closely you can see antennas and a tail. This stonework within a Great Kiva I had never seen before, other than here.
If you'd like to read my thoughts about ETs check out that blog here. As always I love community engagement so please leave a comment and I will be sure to respond.
Yours,
Thank you for stopping by to read my blog. I’m a Certified Indian Blood member of the Hopi & Apache Native American tribes, Reiki Master-Teacher, Medicine woman in-training, paralegal, researcher, and writer based in the mountains of Colorado, USA. I work closely with fellow planktons and minnows in a few groups by helping them adjust to Steemit and curate quality content. I’m especially interested in finding others who love natural medicine originating from ancient practices, gold and silver, and energy work. Additionally, I'm the creator of #MedicineCardMonday and #FreedomFriday, so if you are interested in receiving Native American Medicine stop by my blog every Monday to say hello!
A'OO, Eagle Spirit