Springerville | Arizona

These cute little vintage trailers were found in a small town in Eastern Arizona.  I was staying in St Johns but took a day trip down to Springerville where they have a little antique flea market.

This next picture shows a cooler in the shape of an old Airstream.

The town had a little museum of old homes and buildings that have been reconstructed.

Nearby was an area called Casa Malpais, which means home in the badlands.  It was an area that had volcanic activity centuries ago and was used by Pueblo people.  A tour guide gave a history of the area and the people who lived and farmed here.  Remains of their homes are spread out in the field.  Some areas have not been excavated, since the archaeologists found enough to tell them about the area.

Since the area is locked and admittance is by tour only, they have left pottery sherds.  Complete and partially reconstructed pots could be seen in the museum.

There are petroglyphs in the area and this one shows the summer solstice. At high noon the shadow would cut straight through that large middle petroglyph that looks like curlicues.

The town where I was camped is called St Johns.  It was a small town and the grocery store and Ace Hardware were in the same building.  I thought it was interesting that they put lawn mowers and other equipment right in the aisle to get to the food.  It was a good place to stay for a long holiday weekend, no crowds!  As a bonus, I did lots of cleaning on the truck and the RV, and now I feel lots better about everything!

Navajo Art Show, Yuma, Arizona

I visited an art show today - Navajo jewelry, paintings, weavings and pottery.  The photo above is of an intricate sand painting, matted in a very intricate 4 layer mat pattern.  The design on the mat itself was carved out of each layer which provides the different color variations.  Very impressive work, as indicated in the price tag!

 

The rug below was a prize winner, it measures about 3' x 5' and woven in an intricate pattern that is very striking.  Price tag was striking also, four figures!  There were some smaller rugs in an approximate size of a placemat and they were only about $300. 

 

 

Native Indians all seem to be skilled pottery makers and they all have their own designs and methods.  I was able to watch some Indian artists in Taos, New Mexico last year, and all the painting on the pieces were being done by hand.  I was amazed how they could create such tiny, intricate lines in repetitive patterns and have them all come out perfectly.  Some of the pottery, as shown below, is carved with designs.

 

 

 

 

 

 I didn't bother looking at price tags on the pottery since I wasn't in the market - not only do I not have space for it, but I don't have that kind of a budget!  In any case, it was interesting looking at the creations from these American Indians.

Taos Pueblo, New Mexico

 



 This Pueblo is inhabited by the Red Willow Indians and is known as the Taos Pueblo.



 



 

This is only a portion of the main northern structure, which has been inhabited continuously for over 1,000 years.  Some of the homes have been converted into shops for tourist trade while others are still used as homes.  There is a restriction on electricity or running water within the village.  Homes have little fireplaces and some have wood stoves for heating or cooking.  The walls are at least a foot thick and keep the inside cool in summer and warmer in winter.  A large quantity of homes are in this complex - homes are built side by side, sharing common walls, ceilings, etc.  Individual homes are anywhere from 1 to 3 rooms.

 

The construction is adobe brick, which consists of dirt, straw and water formed into bricks.  They are dried and then stacked with more adobe mixture between them.  The structure is then plastered with more adobe mixture.  As it ages, the straw shows through.

The majority of the population is Catholic, but the native culture and way of life is evident in the total population. 

 

The photo below is a shot of a couple Kivas, which are their sacred religious shrines.  This area is off limits to visitors, and they are underground, with sticks marking the entrance.

 

 

The photo below shows a typical house with the ladder to get to the roof and a bunch of dried chiles hanging on it.  Entrances were through a hole in the roof in the early days and ladders were needed to get inside.  In order to help protect themselves from invasion, they would just pull the ladder up on the roof.  



Most of the homes have only one oven, this one has two.  An oven is called horno and they are still used, especially for large quantities of food.  Wood is used to warm up the oven, then the food is put in.  The pieces of board in this photo just cover the opening.

The cemetery is sacred and no one is allowed to enter unless there is a funeral.  This is why it looks unkempt, they do not maintain it because they would have to enter it.  The ruins within the walls of the cemetery are the church that was damaged by US troops in the 1800s

 

This area was fascinating and I walked through the area at least twice.  They have several shops that open during the morning, with all sorts of goods for sale, including beautiful native pottery, jewelry, paintings.  There are also baked goods for sale, including fry bread, oven bread and cookies.  I had to try the fry bread, which was pretty good with cinnamon and sugar on it.