Rattlesnake Point Pueblo
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Rattlesnake Point Pueblo | |
  Rattlesnake Point Pueblo  Rattlesnake Point Pueblo | |
| Location | St. Johns, Arizona |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°21′01″N 109°21′07″W / 34.35028°N 109.35194°W |
| NRHP reference No. | 01000792[1] |
| Added to NRHP | August 2, 2001 |
Rattlesnake Point Pueblo is a single-story masonry pueblo ruin dating from the 14th and 15th centuries A.D. It is located in Lyman Lake State Park in between St. Johns and Springerville.
The pueblo dates from the late Pueblo IV Period, being occupied from approximately 1325 through about 1400 A.D.[2] It was one of nine Indian settlements located on the Upper Little Colorado between Springerville and St. Johns during the Pueblo IV era.[3] In approximately 1400, this site, along with other pueblos in the region, was systematically abandoned.[4] This intentional abandonment is indicated by the condition of the rooms within the ruin, and their contents, which suggests that they were in constant use up until the point when the entire pueblo was abandoned.[5] It was one of the last settlements in the area to be abandoned.[6]
After it was abandoned, a fire swept through the pueblo, resulting in the collapse of the roof. The natural weathering over the succeeding 600 years has resulted in the degrading of the mud mortar, allowing the walls to collapse into the rooms. Currently, the site is a large pile of rubble.[7] Arizona State University has conducted extensive archeological exploration of the site. Several rooms were completely excavated, while many other rooms were partially excavated in one by two meter sections. Walltrenching was done so as to develop a complete map of the site. Excavation revealed a rather uniform stratigraphy consisting of a top layer of recent soil of between 10 and 30 centimeters. Below this was a 60 to 120 centimeter thick layer composed of material from the collapsed walls, followed by 10 to 40 centimeter layer of collapsed roof material. The lowest layer is between 5 centimeters to 25 inches in depth consisting of cultural debris which was left behind at the time the pueblo was abandoned. The lowest two strata contain many cultural materials, including "reconstructible ceramic vessels, lithic tools and debris, plant and animal remains, and food processing materials."[8]
Preservation efforts include stabilization of four rooms which had been completely excavated, including use of water-resistant solution on the mortar and soil floors and capping of the extant walls.[9]
