Wupatki

Wupatki or Wupatki National Monument is an Ancestral Puebloan site that contains over 800 ancient ruins. It is situated in the north-central region of the US state of Arizona and is approximately 50 km (31 miles) northeast of the present-day city of Flagstaff, 282 km (175 miles) north of Phoenix, and 16 km (10 miles) northeast of Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Wupatki Pueblo, the largest structure within the National Monument, was once the home of roughly 85-150 people who additionally built two kiva structures, a ballcourt, and other buildings, all of which were constructed between 1100-1200 CE. Wupatki Pueblo reflects a confluence of artistic and architectural styles; the area was the site of intense cross-cultural interaction among different Native American cultures. Indigenous peoples abandoned Wupatki Pueblo and its nearby hamlets c. 1275 CE under mysterious circumstances. US Lieutenant Lorenzo Sitgreaves rediscovered and documented Wupatki Pueblo and other ruins in 1851 CE as he searched for a suitable overland route from New Mexico to California. Wupatki is currently a US National Monument, and the US National Park Service has overseen the site's ruins since it was first registered in 1924 CE by the US President Calvin Coolidge.