Rattlesnake Point Pueblo

The pueblo dates from the late Pueblo IV Period, being occupied from approximately 1325 through about 1400 A.D. It was one of nine Indian settlements located on the Upper Little Colorado between Springerville and St. Johns during the Pueblo IV era. In approximately 1400, this site, along with other pueblos in the region, was systematically abandoned. This intentional abandonment is indicated by the condition of the rooms within the ruin, and their contents, which suggests that they were in constant use up until the point when the entire pueblo was abandoned. It was one of the last settlements in the area to be abandoned. After it was abandoned, a fire swept through the pueblo, resulting in the collapse of the roof. The natural weathering over the succeeding 600 years has resulted in the degrading of the mud mortar, allowing the walls to collapse into the rooms. Currently, the site is a large pile of rubble. Preservation efforts include stabilization of four rooms which had been completely excavated, including use of water-resistant solution on the mortar and soil floors and capping of the extant walls. ==Description==

The pueblo sits on a ridge which sits on a ridge which extends into Lyman Reservoir. Prior to the creation of the lake, the pueblo overlooked a broad floodplain of the Little Colorado River, but is now full of water. The pueblo usually has water on three sides, but during peak capacity of the reservoir, the fourth side can also have a shallow amount of water, completely surrounding the pueblo. Rattlesnake Point sits at an elevation of above sea level. Rattlesnake Point pueblo is a single-story structure constructed from local sandstone. It consists of approximately 85 rooms surrounding an open courtyard and a great kiva Petroglyphs found on the site include birds, butterflies, dogs and/or coyotes, katsinas, lizards, mountain lions, scorpions, and snakes. While a high percentage of the petroglyphs found onsite were of mountain lions and birds, the actual percentage of remains of those types of fauna were less than 1%. The creation of Lyman Reservoir has created an erosion issue along the eastern and southeastern sections of the pueblo. When the reservoir is at maximum depth, waves break against these portions, leading to erosion downslope. ==See also==