Welcome to Ann Torrence photography - U.S. Highway 89, landscape, nature, people from Utah, the west, rural western U.S., national parks and international locations. Ann is writer of photography tips and and travel stories and essays. Photographer of U.S. 89: Character of the American West
The Sinagua people built these dwellings above the western edge of the Painted Desert in what is now Wupatki National Monument. The volcanic peaks in the nearby San Francisco range have erupted as recently as 1100AD. Resulting ash deposits enriched the fields of the arriving Sinaguans. At its peak, the pueblo community grew to about 2,000 and built a rare meso-American-style ball court.