Possible Native American site???

[Mr.Waffles]

Alright good people of TreasureNet, I am in need of your help once again.
Somewhere in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona is a very large hilltop (locals call it a mountain but it's not). At the base of that hilltop are petroglyphs, extremly common for this area. On the other side of the hill, I've found pottry. These relics are from the ancient Hohokam people. I've never posted pics becuase it wasnt anything too exciting. There is a trail that goes to the top of the hill and leads to absolutley nothing, however on the side of the "mountain" completely off the path I've found two sets of stone circles.

All of the rocks are volcanic basalt. The circle in the fisrt pic is almost 6ft in diameter and the second circle (pics 2 & 3) is closer to 5ft. The smaller of the two is in much worse shape and slightly overgrown but still very circular. (sorry, the pic isnt very good).

The first is obviously man made, but ancient...I'm not totally sure. The second one could be natural but I sincerly doubt it. IF either of these are Native American, what could they have possibly been used for? I cant figure a purpose for somthing so small.




Ya'll are way cooler than me at this relic hunting business so I thought I'd seek your opinions. Thanks!

 

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[welsbury]

Could possibly be hunting blinds.

 

[Slingshot]

Sweat lodges.

 

[GatorBoy]

Definitely look like artifact structures from the natives in your area

 

[GatorBoy]

 

[Mr.Waffles]

View attachment 1151489

It looks right but what kills me is the size. I've been in ruins before that had rooms this size but they were always connected to a larger room. These are very isolated. I wonder what it could have been used for. (btw I kayak a lot near those ruins in your pic! lol)

 

[Mr.Waffles]

Sweat lodges.

The shape might be right but their hogans are usually a lot bigger. Good news is that it's raining today. Hopefully I can head back out there this weekend and take a look around and find more clues.

 

[GatorBoy]

Dry storage maybe? Hides and such? just trying to be imaginative here.

 

[unclemac]

sweat lodges is a good idea to explore

 

[Mr.Waffles]

Sweat lodges.

So, looking into sweat lodges from way back when and it doesn't seem like they were very big. I guess that makes sense. If you're gonna fill a room with steam, it'd be hard if the room was really large. I really appreciate everyone's input so far.

 

[eastTNJoe]

I am no expert on Southwest native sites but that first pic seems "fresh" and not old. Are those stones stacked up in the background? It seems like they would have tumbled over after awhile…but what do I know? The other pic looks a bit more overgrown…interesting for sure.

 

[Tnmountains]

I am no expert on Southwest native sites but that first pic seems "fresh" and not old. Are those stones stacked up in the background? It seems like they would have tumbled over after awhile…but what do I know? The other pic looks a bit more overgrown…interesting for sure.

I kinda agree. Anything exposed would weather and trap wind blown seeds after hundreds of years. I see vegetation in the area. Maybe someone goofing around and emulating ancient areas like you see and have in your area?

 

[Slingshot]

The repeated stacks of stones just above the ring of stones on the ridge above it in the first picture are what really get my curiosity up. I'm not intimately familiar with that tribes customs, but amongst other tribes stones stacked vertically like those means "end of the trail". This can also have a spiritual counterpoint put in memorial to the departed. Could also be aligned with astronomical features, or be a mapping center where stacks could be lined up with important spiritual places, or actual concentrated tribal population centers. Could also be just somebody recently fooling around there, but I have a gut feeling about them as being ancient.
Whatever they are I find them very interesting and I hope you can unravel the mystery of these sites you have located. Cheers!!

 

[mainejman]

I like the storage idea patient.I would think any dwelling or sweat lodge would have been on flatter ground...mjm

 

[mainejman]

Sorry my spell check took over.mjm

 

[Mr.Waffles]

I am no expert on Southwest native sites but that first pic seems "fresh" and not old. Are those stones stacked up in the background? It seems like they would have tumbled over after awhile…but what do I know? The other pic looks a bit more overgrown…interesting for sure.

I agree, the stacked stones in the background raised some doubts with me as well, but I find that people will stack stones near anything of interest around here, whether it be Indian/ petroglyphs ruins or neat rock formations. So even if the stacked stones are recent it doesn't mean that the circles aren't old. Btw, I really appreciate everyone's input so far. It's raining this weekend and I'm excited to head back there on Monday and see if anything new shows up in the dirt. I'll keep ya'll posted.

 

[Charl]

There is one well know mysterious stone circle in Arizona, btw:

Circlestone: Superstition Wilderness, Arizona

There are also so-called "sleeping circles", found throughout the Mojave of Ca., but also to a degree in the Sonoran desert:

http://starbuck.org/exploring/death-valley-sleeping-circles-dvnp/

 

[RGINN]

I don't think it's prehistoric, but from the historic era. As for a sweat lodge, I've never seen one on top of a hill. They are usually close to water, cause when you come out you run jump in the creek. Could be exceptions in different cultures. But that's way too much work for a sweat lodge. I thought hunting blind, observation post, defensive position, etc. There's an entry way it appears in the second pic. Were there sheepherders in that area? Might be something they constructed. And post some petroglyph pics if you can. Always like to see those.

 

[Mr.Waffles]

Alright. I visited this place again and I think I've formed my conclusion.
Yes it is an ancient Hohokam Native American site. This is based on the fact that I have found in this spot today, pottery and baked mixture of mud that is commonly used as a sort of mortar in similar ruins nearby. I doubt very much (although not certain) that the larger circle is very old. The small pile of water bottles in it today and the fact that all of the stack rocks (mentioned in previous have been knocked over shows that, although this area may be hidden, it's not a secret to some. I have also found "petroglyphs" but I have never seen a triangle petroglyph before and doubt it's validity. But then again it was very hard to find. So if anyone is an expert on glyphs let me know what you think.

 

[ghp95134]

Possible Vision Quest Site?

Found something similar on a "Sign Talk" site where a small circle of stones is described as a Vision Quest site:

Vision Quest site at Petroglyph Canyon, Montana

source

Ron Garritson, the FB page owner, teachs the Plains Indian Sign Language in the Natie American Studies Department at Montana State University-Billings. If you are interested in "talking sign" and have read William Tompkins' book Indian Sign Language, Garritson's FB page would offer good reinforcement training.


--Guy Power