Current Watch Site

Perched on a narrow edge of the First Mesa, Walpi is the foundation for eleven Hopi settlements in the United States. Founded in the thirteenth century in a cleft of the mesa formation, Walpi was moved to its current location as a defensive measure after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The village was built using hand-trimmed sandstone and earth, and grew over the centuries. (...)

Perched on a narrow edge of the First Mesa, Walpi is the foundation for eleven Hopi settlements in the United States. Founded in the thirteenth century in a cleft of the mesa formation, Walpi was moved to its current location as a defensive measure after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The village was built using hand-trimmed sandstone and earth, and grew over the centuries. The roofs consist of vigas (structural beams), latillas (branches used as sheathing), and a capping layer of willow twigs and earth. The walls are still hand-plastered by local women. During the 1880s and 1890s, the inhabitants began migrating to more contemporary houses in the nearby village of Polacca, and the permanent population of Walpi slowly dwindled in the twentieth century. Many Polacca families retain ownership of their houses in Walpi, but they are now used predominantly for public ceremonies. Walpi is a significant Native American site that represents traditional Hopi architecture and identity. Over the years weathering, insufficient maintenance, and incompatible interventions have compromised the integrity of the site. The Hopi community would like to restore the site using traditional materials and methods.