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Ruin interior
This sketch comes from a ruin in the House of Rain chapter "Below the Mogollon Rim." It is on the Whiteriver Apache Reservation, inside of a large, sheltered cliff dwelling that has been thoroughly excavated, each room's construction dates determined through tree rings in the wood. The room depicted appears to have been ceremonial in its final use. It was originally a domestic living room, and some time after A.D. 1342 was converted, one of its exterior doorways partially sealed and turned into a ventilation hole (a common feature in ritual chambers). This change has been interpreted as a sign that around 1342 this cliff dwelling went from seasonal use to year-round occupation. The transition marks a demographic change in east-central Arizona as people took up more defensive residences.
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