Part of the Blue Mesa Trail in Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park. (Photo: T. Scott Williams, AP)

Excerpt from
usatoday.com

Archaeologists recently discovered an ancient village in Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park. The village dates to between A.D. 200 and A.D. 700, Bill Reitze, the park’s archaeologist, told USA TODAY Network.

The site where the village was found.
The site where the village was found. (Photo: National Park Service)

 
Fifty to 75 “pit house” structures, or semiround subterranean homes, were found at the site this summer, Reitze said. That means between 100 and 125 people likely lived in the village at any one time. Archaeologists also found a number of artifacts, according to Reitze.

Erosion exposes a vessel that was buried.
Erosion exposes a vessel that was buried. (Photo: National Park Service)

 
“They are primarily stone tools like spear points and scrapers that are made out of the local petrified wood,” he said. “There’s also some shell that’s used to make ornaments and early pottery.”
 

Projectile point with serrated edge.
A projectile point with a serrated edge was discovered at the site. (Photo: National Park Service)

It’s the second village of its size to be found in the area in the past two years. They are less than a mile apart and located on neighboring ridges, according to Reitze.

White soapstone or siltstone pendant.
White soapstone or siltstone pendant.

“I think there’s going to be more sites like this in the park,” Reitze said.