Atsinna, El Morro and Inscription Rock National Monument

Wednesday
Atsinna, El Morro and Inscription Rock, all three of these places are the same geographical location, but separated in time and culture. Atsinna is the Zuni Puebloan name for the village built on the top of the mesa, El Morro is its Spanish name and means The Headland and Inscription Rock is the name given to it by American travelers after they saw the many carvings that cover the headland walls (and added their own). El Morro is a sandstone mesa, which means it is a hill/mountain with very steep sides and a flat top. The top is longer than the sides are high, so it is a mesa. The other way round is a butte (my definition). They are often inaccessible, frequently described as an 'Island In The Sky'
Situated out in the desert, away from any river, El Morro's importance lies in a small pool at the base of The Headland which collects run off rainwater from El Morro, protected from evaporation by the surrounding rocks the pool is about swimming pool size, holding some 200,000 gallons of water and has water all year round.
The presence of water in the desert meant that it was significant to all who passed that way and so is a reflection of the history of this area.
There are three main groups of people who used this pool. The Zuni Puebloans (1200 - 1350), The Spanish explorers and settlers (1540 - 1780) and the American Immigrants (1846-1881) travelling to California.
I took off early this morning to walk the trail up onto the El Morro mesa, to see the Pueblo village (Atsinna) up on the top. built around 1275.A.D.(?) it is a building with 395 rooms, though very few of them remain, still it was a pleasant walk, including the somewhat narrow and precipitous path onto The Headland, in an increasing wind. Some lovely views of the surrounding area, which is very dry, with many Junipers Also saw an American Kestrel, which was very nice.

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In the afternoon Sally and I took the short trail which takes you to the other main features of El Morro, the graffiti!

People would arrive at the pool and maybe stay a few days and the soft sandstone made the rocks round the pool ideal for carving names. So there are many names carved in the rocks. The modern name for El Morro is Inscription Rock. At various locations and even on top of each other there are pueblan petroglyphs (pictures), Spanish names and writings (even poetry), often in a neat cursive script and modern grave stone style carvings produced by the more modern Americans passing this way. The information booklet supplied showed us where many interesting carvings were. The first Spanish leader carving of his name 'Onates' in 1605 - 15 years before the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth Rock.

Some inscriptions of women and girls (Sarah Fox - aged 12 in 1858) were amongst over 2000 carvings which make this place so interesting and important.

Over 700 years of History are marked (literally) at this small oasis in the desert. A quite remarkable place to visit.

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