page_title: Tsankawi
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Tsankawi / History
caption_attribution_description: Cavates &amp; worn steps at Tsankawi.
context_page_description: Tsankawi is a detached portion of Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, near White Rock. It is accessible from a roadside parking area just north of the intersection of East Jemez Road and State Road 4. A self-guided 1.5-mile loop trail provides access to numerous unexcavated ruins, caves carved into soft tuff, and petroglyphs.
context_section_description: Tsankawi (san-KAH-wee) was built by ancient Pueblo Indians sometimes known as the Ancestral Pueblo People.  Archeological evidence indicates that Tsankawi may have been constructed in the 15th century and occupied until the late 16th century—toward the end of the Rio Grande Classic Period.  It was occupied by  Ancestral Pueblo people.  Dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) indicates that a severe drought occurred in the late 16th century. Traditions at a number of nearby Tewa Pueblos, including San Ildefonso Pueblo, Santa Clara Pueblo, Pojoaque Pueblo, and Tesuque Pueblo claim ancestral ties to Tsankawi and other nearby pueblo sites.
  Archeological evidence indicates that the Indians first settled the surrounding area in small communities during the late 12th century. Over time fewer, but larger communities were built. Tsankawi was one of these larger communities. The trail follows centuries-old paths through the area where the ancestral Pueblo people lived.
  According to Pueblo tradition, the people of Tsankawi spoke Tewa, while those in Frijoles Canyon, the main section of Bandelier, spoke Keres. While their languages were different, their religious beliefs, lifestyles, and worldviews were similar. Even today, active pueblos San Ildefonso, Cochiti, and others retain strong social and traditional ties with these two cultural sites.
  The 1.5-mile trail through Tsankawi takes you along centuries-old paths of the ancestral Pueblo people. In many areas, the trails have been worn into the rock 8 to 24 inches or more as the people traveled from the mesa tops to their farms in the canyons below. The trails also connected to other villages in the surrounding area. The natives either wore sandals or walked barefoot
  Much of the site has never been excavated, however Edgar Hewett did excavate at least 2 burial mounds near the main pueblo room blocks during his studies of the area in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
caption: Cavate cliff dwellings (one walled up) with steps worn into the soft tuff.
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