Lunch with the Sinagua People of Walnut Canyon, Arizona

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes” Marcel Proust

It is about 2pm in the afternoon. I am sitting on the dirt under an overhanging cliff on the island trail in Walnut Canyon, Arizona. As I take a bit of the juicy red organic fuji apple I brought with me on the short hike and sip the still somewhat cool water I have been carrying around, I look out past the remnants of the ancient walls of the small room built by the Sinagua people more than 800 years ago. Behind me the walls of the cliff/cave are still blackened with smoke from the fires they used to cook their food. I am eating my lunch where someone, likely a Sinagua woman, spent many hours cooking and possibly where the family also ate. It is a lunch invitation I have taken a long time to accept.

The Sinagua people [sin agua from the Spanish meaning without water – these were the people without water] are no longer with us but they left a powerful indication of there presence, life and culture in the cliffs of Walnut Canyon. I was driving from Wheatfields to Prescott Arizona and the Walnut Canyon National Park sign caught my eye as it had the two previous times that I had passed this way on highway I-40. This time I am in no hurry to get anywhere and so I answer the call of Spirit and accept the age old luncheon invitation.

The road to the park has pine forests on either side. As I drive up to the park ranger’s booth, I remember that I had planned to stop at a bank machine in Flagstaff. I have only $5 US currency in my purse and a few Canadian bills that I have not yet converted. Before I have time to wonder if I will be able to get in the female ranger says, “Only one person? That will be $5”. Spirit is making sure that I can keep my lunch date. The visitor’s parking is only a few feet away from the ranger’s station, with the Visitor’s centre hanging off the edge of the cliff on the right side. I am pleased to see recycling containers lining the parking lot. They are few and far between. So far I have not seen any at the many rest stopped I have made along my journey. I have collected a large plastic bag full of plastic water bottles and metal tins along the way and am glad for the opportunity to finally recycle them.

The ranger in the visitor’s centre has a beautiful smile and a twinkle in his eye as he tells me there are two trails that will allow you to see the cliff dwellings – the easy one, a 0.7 mile trail along the rim of the canyon passes by the ruins of rimtop structures, while the second one is a bit more physically challenging I am told as it involves a 185 foot climb into the canyon on the 0.9 mile trail which I am told goes past many of the cliff dwellings. I decide to take the more challenging trail and the ranger advises me to carry some water with me. I return to the car for my water bottle and decide to take my lunch, an apple and orange with me.

Descending the 240 stairs to the island loop is not difficult but I pass several couples huffing and puffing as they make their way back up the stairs. The canyon rim is nearly 7000 feet above sea level so going up hill is not as easy as it is at lower altitudes. I walk along the constructed path wondering what it was like to navigate when the pavement was not there. I stop at the first overhanging cliff which looks like it has several flat bed like structures carved out of the rock at the base. There are no walls, but the overhang would certainly keep away much of the rain, snow and the mid day desert sun.

I am fascinated by the canyon vegetation which varies from tiny red bell like flowers to prickly pear cactuses, pinyon pine, ponderosa pines and balsam firs. It is such a mixture of what looks like temperate as well as semiarid vegetation. On the other side of the cliff face I see caves with walls inside. These must be the cliff dwellings I think as I walk further along the path and come face to face with several shallow caves, mostly not much taller than my 5 foot 3 inches height, with remnants of walls built from what looks like limestone rocks and clay. Each ‘room’ is small about 3 feet by 6 feet and many of the back walls are blackened with the smoke from years of cooking.

I walk further past other open and semi open cave rooms and am finally find the perfect spot to sit and eat lunch in a relatively open room with half a wall and a magnificent view of the canyon below. Apparently the Sinagua began building their cliff dwelling around 1100AD and lived there until about 1250 AD when they are thought to have moved to new villages closeby along the Anderson Mesa and to eventually become assimilated into the Hopi people. Exactly why they left is not known but they certainly left behind enough to spark our imagination about what life must have been like without water high up on the slopes of Walnut Canyon.

After my lunch date with these ancient people is over I make my way along the remainder of the path admiring the magnificence of the canyon before hiking up the stairs back to the visitors centre and heading on my way.

Lessons Learned: 1) Water is precious. Our bodies are made of 70% water. We need water to live. Learning to respect and take care of the water element is an important part of maintaining a healthy life and a healthy planet, 2) Nature is beauty. Stillness is peace. 3) Whenever you find a beautiful spot away from the madding crowds take a moment to stop and meditate, soak up the energies of that spot or simply sit and have lunch with the inhabitants of days gone by. You will be surprised what messages and memories the walls and the wind may share with you.