The Gardens at the Tusayan Ruins in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

I recently returned from a trip to the Grand Canyon. Although there are many wondrous and marvelous things to see at the Grand Canyon National Park, this blog entry will focus on the Tusayan Ruins located within the park because of the grounds and garden there.

The Tusayan Ruins (pronounced "Two-see-yawn") at the Grand Canyon Park, consists of a Native American pueblo dating back to the 1100's. According to the park ranger who spoke on the tour I attended, he said that no one is certain of the origin of the term, "Tusayan." The Native Americans who lived in this pueblo prior to relocating from it (for reasons unknown), did not refer themselves as such. Instead, the term was the Spanish name for this geographical area where the pueblo is located, and archaeologists in the 1930's who were excavating the area, adopted the usage of that term for the Native American tribe that lived in this place.

Although the ruins are interesting because they give visitors an idea of how this particular tribe lived (they hunted, gathered, and engaged in small-scale agriculture), for our purposes, we will look to the gardens cultivated by this tribe. According to the park ranger who led the tour and the artifacts displayed at the on-site museum, the primary crops grown by this tribe were the Three Sisters--corn, beans and squash. In addition, the tribe cultivated the pinon tree from where they would harvest pine nuts, use the sap to waterproof their baskets, and used the timber to construct their living quarters. They used sagebrush for dye and for cleansing ceremonies and grew Mormon tea so that they could have tea.

I was impressed at the resourcefulness of this tribe and their way of life. If your journeys take you to the Grand Canyon, it is a worthwhile stop to see the Tusayan Ruins.

photos by Betty Homer