Elden Pueblo (

Hopi The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the Unite ...

: Pasiwvi) was a prehistoric Native American village located at the foot of Mount Elden near Flagstaff, Arizona. The pueblo is thought to have been part of a major trading system.Elden Pueblo Archaeological Site
at Coconino National Forest Various trade items such as macaw skeletons from Mexico as well as shell jewelry from the coast of California have been found throughout the site. The area is now protected and is used for research and educational purposes.

History

The area was settled by the Sinagua peoples from approximately 1070 to 1275. It is believed that the site was home to 200–300 people within 60–70 rooms. Aside from the structures constructed of compacted stones, a burial mound was discovered near the site. Two individual burials were found under the site. The site was discovered by Harold Colton, who originally named it Sheep Hill Pueblo. When

Jesse Walter Fewkes Jesse Walter Fewkes (November 14, 1850 – May 31, 1930) was an American anthropologist, archaeologist, writer, and naturalist. Biography Fewkes was born in Newton, Massachusetts on November 14, 1850, and initially trained as a zoologist at H ...

excavated it in 1926 and shipped the recovered skeletons and pots to the Smithsonian, it created a controversy with Arizona's archeologists including Colton and Byron Cummings of the University of Arizona. Colton and Fewkes sparred in the journal ''Science'' and in various outraged Arizona newspapers. The controversy was part of the impetus for the 1927 Arizona Antiquities Act and the creation of the Northern Arizona Society of Science and Art. There is some controversy about the burial mound; some say the mound is simply a dirt pile from the nearby Fewkes' excavation. Ruins from another structure were also found underneath the mound which also leads to questions about its authenticity. Archeological studies have uncovered information regarding architectural design and the social hierarchy of the Sinagua people. Social hierarchy can be deduced from the variations in burial techniques as well as the decorative features of the grave. Although it has been stated that the

Winona meteorite The Winona meteorite is a primitive achondrite meteorite. It is the type specimen and by far the largest meteorite of the winonaite group. Discovery and naming The Winona meteorite is named after Winona, Arizona. The meteorite is said to be disc ...

was found at Elden Pueblo, it was in fact found at another Sinagua site miles away.A.L. Christenson "J. W. Simmons' account of the discovery of the Winona meteorite." ''Meteorite'' 10(3):14–16, 2004

References

External links

Interactive Dig, Elden Pueblo
at

Archaeology (magazine) ''Archaeology'' is a bimonthly magazine for the general public, published by the Archaeological Institute of America The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is North America's oldest society and largest organization devoted to the world o ...

* {{Authority control Native American history of Arizona Archaeological sites in Arizona History of Coconino County, Arizona Coconino National Forest Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona National Register of Historic Places in Coconino County, Arizona Protected areas of Coconino County, Arizona Ruins in the United States Sinagua Ancient Puebloan archaeological sites in Arizona