Tusayan Ruins at the Grand Canyon

Very near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon are the Tusayan Ruins and Museum. I forgot to take a picture of the entrance, so I pilfered this image from the internet. Thanks Google!!

I remember visiting these ruins as a child, so this was a must during our Grand Canyon trip. I love Indian ruins anyway, and would like to take the kids to some of the ruins here in the Valley (you know, someday).

The ruins and museum both are very small, and can be done in an hour or two. Much less time if you're not taking the time to read anything. But the museum is small enough that you can see everything and read every plaque without feeling like you're taking too much time. The ruins are left from people who lived there around 800 AD.


This is a pic of the boys in front of the fireplace inside the museum. At first I thought it was a model of the kind of fireplaces the ancient inhabitants used here, but after seeing the ruins, I no longer think so. I'm including the pic anyway cuz I think the boys are cute. ;)

These little stick figurines are a bit legendary around the Grand Canyon - you'll see references to them at other places there on the rim:

The text in this picture gives a good overview of why these stick figurines are so mysterious. (Just so you know, when it refers to "remote caves", it's talking about caves within the Grand Canyon, not there at the ruins.) Here's the text:



"ARCHAIC CULTURE: Two to four thousand years ago, people fashioned animal figurines from split twigs of willow, cottonwood, and rushes. Most have been found in remote caves with no indication of any other human use. What did they mean to the people who hid them?"

There have been suggestions that these were used in ceremonies or something. It's interesting to think about.


I was amazed at the artifacts they had on display. I love this basket:

It's so pretty! I want one. :)

This piece of stone (broken at the corner) was artfully chiseled to create the indentations for use as a silver mold. Just amazing.

This is a terrible picture of a seashell bracelet. The plaques in this display talked about the trading routes that were set up, bringing items from the sea. Stuff like this just amazes me. Why? Why is it hard to imagine people so long ago having such things as that flute and bracelet? They must have loved music and beauty, family and playtime, just as we do.

As we were exiting the museum and on our way to the ruins, we noticed a Park Ranger giving some little kids ranger badges and swearing them in. When she was done and the kids were gone, we asked her about it. Turns out many National Parks offer a Junior Ranger Program. She gave our kids each a booklet to fill out, but in order to complete the program, they also had to listen to a Ranger presentation somewhere at the park (there are several throughout the Grand Canyon). She had just finished her last one of the day. When she found out this was a one day trip for us and we'd be heading home soon, she offered to do a mini-tour just for us. How cool is that?

This is part of a three-room structure (I believe) that constituted their living quarters. You'd have 6-12 people living together in ONE room! You'll notice there were no doors. They came in through a hole in the roof.



These are storage rooms. For these people, a year supply was a survival must! (Oh, and I just remembered something we learned. At the ages of 10-13, boys would be expected to start a family! Just a few years older than my John! Hitting the age of 45 was tough to do, and considered old age. It was a hard life.)

This is the Large Kiva, or ceremonial room. See the "bench" around the side (left and bottom of the picture)? On the plaque below, the top illustration is a drawing of the Kiva looking down. See the ladder that led to the hole in top? That's how they got in.

After the tour, our ranger, Cindy, gave us a chance to let the boys fill out their books. Then she talked with them one by one, asking what they learned. They each got a certificate, a badge, and a patch for the Grand Canyon Junior Ranger program. (There's a unique patch for each park that offers this - Boy Scouts are actually allowed to put these on their sashes! - and Cub Scouts can put them on brag vests, which no one in this ward seems to use). Then she swore them in:

Christopher didn't really appreciate this, me thinks, LOL, but John was quite serious about it! After that, we visited with her for awhile and asked her questions about what rangers do and how she got involved with it. It was really interesting and she was so nice to spend time with us like that.

If you're interested in learning more about the Tusayan Ruins, watch the short video at the Ranger Minute site. There are other Ranger Minutes you can access in the sidebar too, including one about how the Grand Canyon was formed.