The Navajo people have long made their homes in various areas of the Four Corners, but their original ancestral homeland is located in extreme eastern San Juan County and extreme western Rio Arriba county in New Mexico. Visitors to northwestern New Mexico today can visit some of early Navajo defensive sites, called “pueblitos” by early Spanish explorers who first encountered the Navajo in 1583.
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These sites were often constructed high on promontories in remote locations with wide views to watch for approaching invaders. Some were built within sight of other locations, perhaps to allow for signal fires to be used as warnings.
While some sites were only large enough to house a small family, others had many rooms, storage facilities, and forked stick hogans, conical huts made with three forked poles covered with logs, brush, and mud.
Almost 240 Navajo defensive sites have been identified in New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona, and most of them are on Bureau of Land Management land. There are several that can be visited in Northern New Mexico east of Farmington.
History of Navajo Defensive Sites
As the name suggests, the defensive sites were built to protect the inhabitants from invaders. Most were built between the late 1600s and the mid 1750s. In general, they are small and in difficult places to reach, such as at the top of a rocky formation. The structures were built of stone and often had low doorways and small windows through which weapons could be fired at approaching Ute or Spanish invaders.
Access to these homes were sometimes just hand- and footholds carved into rock, perhaps combined with a notched pole that could serve as a ladder close to the ground, then pulled up for safety. Visitors today need to exercise caution when trying to reach the sites. Some people have attached ropes or leaned logs to provide access, but their safety is not assured.
Preserving Navajo Defensive Sites
Built hundreds of years ago and then abandoned, these sites had been left to nature. Fortunately, there are people who are concerned with preserving the ruins for future generations. Larry Baker, the executive director of Salmon Ruins near Bloomfield, New Mexico, is an expert on ruin stabilization. He works with Diné teams to prevent these ruins from further deterioration, using methods the original builders would have employed.
Larry says they do this challenging work to preserve history and to “maintain the legacy for the Navajo community as an ancestral homeland.” They have worked to preserve Salmon Ruins (a Chaco outlier site), Chimney Rock National Monument, Navajo pueblitos, and many other locations.
Visiting Defensive Sites
Before visiting any archaeological site, it’s important to know that it is against the law to remove artifacts and to deface or destroy any part of the site. If you see rock art or a piece of pottery, enjoy it where it is and leave it for others to see.
Another important note is not to head out in inclement weather or attempt a hike or climb beyond your skill level. Many of these sites are in remote locations and help may be far away. In fact, your cell phone may not work, preventing you from making a call for help if someone is injured. Take plenty of water, especially in summer.
If you’d like a guided tour of Navajo defensive sites, contact Salmon Ruins Museum. If you’re game for visiting on your own, here are some you can explore.
Navajo Defensive Sites You Can Visit
Frances Canyon Ruin
This large and well-presented pueblito was built between 1710 and 1745 according to tree-ring dates. Unlike other sites that seem to have been built for a small nuclear family, this location has about 40 rooms and a three-story defensive tower. Rock art can be viewed here as well as the remains of the complex.
Split Rock Ruin
Perched atop a divided 40-foot boulder, Split Rock Ruin has four rooms and was constructed during the late 1720 or 1730s, but seems to only have been used for a few years. The top would have been reached using a notched pole as a ladder and then using the rock itself to climb the rest of the way. This is a site to view from below as the BLM recommends not attempting to climb the cliff up to the site.
Tapacito Ruin
This ruin is about a half mile from Split Rock Ruin and is one of the earliest of the pueblitos, built in 1694. The construction of this site is different from other Navajo defensive sites and is more similar to walls found at Chaco Canyon and Salmon Ruins. It’s possible that this site was built by Puebloans from Jemez who were fleeing the Spanish. This site is only a short walk from the parking area.
Largo School Ruin
High on a mesa overlooking the canyon below, Largo School Ruin was built in 1736 and 1737. Other structures on the site, such as a hogan and sweat lodge, may have been built at other times. Archaeological evidence has been found at this site that shows the people who lived here had contact with Puebloan people and were able to trade for Spanish goods like an iron awl and an iron tack that were found here. This site is reached by an easy half-mile hike from a parking area.
Crow Canyon Site
This is a difficult site to reach and involves a strenuous climb up a steep, rocky slope. Those who are in good enough condition to reach the site will find a five-room pueblito and the remains of other structures such as forked-pole hogans, sweat lodges, and two petroglyph panels.
The Crow Canyon Petroglyph site is the largest collection of early Navajo petroglyphs, with hundreds of images carved into the stone. Some Ancestral Puebloan petroglyphs can be found here as well. There are sections of panels, walls with numerous rock art designs, in this area. The Big Warrior panel of petroglyphs is located before reaching the ruin. The Main Panel is along a separate path. The 44 Panel is beyond the ruins less than a mile hike from the well pad where you can park.
Hooded Fireplace Ruin
A short, steep hike leads to this unusual ruin. Rather than being built in a high defensive location like the top of a pinnacle, it was built on a bench on the side of a mesa. It is named for the Spanish-style hooded fireplace in the corner of the rooms. This is also a larger ruin than usually found, with six contiguous rooms that were built in 1723.
Simon Canyon Ruin
This one-room pueblito sits at the top of a 20-foot boulder and was one of the last built, in 1754. Inhabitants would reach it using a notched log they could pull up behind themselves to prevent enemies from gaining access. From the top of the ladder, they would then use hand- and footholds carved into the sandstone.
Learn more about these historic ruins and how to reach them on the BLM Defensive Sites of Dinétah webpage.
