Sinagua

Banner image by Tomas Castelazo, via Wikimedia Commons

Populations in the Sinagua (sin-OW-wah) area lived in large pithouse and pueblo communities. They practiced flexible hunting, gathering, and farming strategies specific to some of the challenging landscapes they inhabited, including the San Francisco Volcanic Field near Flagstaff. In some periods, they built public gathering spaces, including ballcourts, and distinctive rectangular community rooms. Their distinctive but rarely decorated pottery was brown, red, or buff, and they imported pottery from neighboring regions. Other imports included shell from California and macaws and copper bells from Mexico. By the mid-1400s, most Sinagua groups had left the region, and some moved to settlements on the Hopi Mesas.

Want to learn more? Explore the major concepts, places, cultures, and themes that Southwestern archaeologists are exploring today in our Introduction to Southwestern Archaeology.