Overlooking the floodplain of the Puerco River, Puerco Ruin is a partially excavated rectangular pueblo of approximately 100 rooms. It stood one-story high, with 2 to 3 rows of connected rooms surrounding a central plaza. The nearby river provided the water that nourished the plant and animla life necessary for this pueblo community.
Evidence suggests that Puerco Pueblo was occupied twice, from A.D. 1100 to 1200 and again the the 1300s. Residents of Puerco may have been direct ancestors of the modern-day Hopi and Zuni. Artifacts found during excavations reveal that the inhabitants of Puerco Pueblo had contact with both groups.
Newspaper Rock
Drawings, called petroglyphs, pecked into rocks allow a glimpse of the life and world of the people who farmed the Puerco River Valley 650 to 2,000 years ago. The dark coating of the rock, called desert-varnish, presented an inviting opportunity for creativity. Ancient artists produced many types of figures and patterns by carefully pecking the coated rock surfaces with sharpened tools to remove the desert varnish and expose the lighter rock beneath. Their handiwork includes presentations of human faces, bighorn sheep, antelope, birds, lizards, and snakes. The exact purpose and meaning of the designs and representations is unknown.
Directions
If you enter the park from the north, stay on the main road for about 10 miles and you will see the parking area of Puerco Ruin to your left. The road to Newspaper Rock is located another mile to the south to your right.
