The Pueblo's Plaza

The Pueblo's Plaza. . If Tuzigoot's plaza served a role like those of pueblos today, this flat, open area between rooms would have been the hub of social and ceremonial activities., In modern Hopi society, plazas are central to the pueblo community. The plaza ties people together; it is a place where food and goods are freely shared with all. Plazas and the ceremonies conducted there are two ways Hopi people have maintained their cultural identity and cohesiveness over centuries., Tuzigoot archeologists found many pieces of Jeddito yellow ware-a pottery type made only at the Hopi Mesas to the northeast. These beautiful bowls at Tuzigoot indicate participation in a shared religion or belief system. During gatherings or ceremonies, people may have brought them filled with food as an offering., The room block to your left has the only exterior doorway in the pueblo today. It opens to the plaza, so perhaps it facilitated aspects of community events such as storage or preparation. The plaza may have also been a community workspace or a place to meet travelers and conduct trade., Captions , Painted pottery from the Hopi Mesas, seashells from the Pacific Ocean, and the remains of a scarlet macaw from Mexico were all found at Tuzigoot-evidence of ties to communities far beyond the Verde Valley. , Even today, many aspects of traditional life in Hopi pueblos center around plazas like the one before you. Photographer Emery Kolb captured this image of the Hopi płaza at Oraibi in 1913. , Clint Library, Northern Arizona University