… carved from the volcanic rock of the towering cliffs by pueblo ancestors. We actually started out to first visit the Ildefonso Pueblo, on our way to Bandelier National Monument. It looked quite promising. A well-maintained road led directly to a large, modern pueblo headquarters building, surrounded by cars. We could hear lots of people talking as we walked up to the door. It turned out to be a bridal shower; the office was closed and no one could help us. The woman in charge of the shower did tell us not to take any pictures of anything!
So we left the pueblo to drive to Bandelier National Monument. In addition to the original cave dwellings, later houses were built with the rocks which fell from the cliffs. We took the Main Loop Trail to see most of the important sights/sites. The Trail started out deceptively easily, on level ground, shaded by trees. The shade quickly gave way to blazing hot sun. A large kiva, or sacred place of worship, was possibly used by ancient men when weaving. A second smaller kiva was probably where boys were taught to become men. The foundations of a circular village are still visible; it was at least two stories high and contained more than 400 rooms, home to about 100 people.
Past the kivas and the village, the path got tougher, veering straight up the cliff side, with steep, narrow steps. The handrail was red-hot from the sun, a hazard of its own. You have to climb the cliff to visit the spectacular cave rooms, dug out of the soft rock and plastered with clay. Soot from cooking and heating is still visible on the ceilings. After multiple misgivings, and encouragement from total strangers, we both scaled the wooden ladders to climb into the cave houses open to the public.
We ended the day with a lovely dinner with Dee Anne, one of Frank’s high school friends from Verdun, France.
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