Palatki Red Cliffs Ancient Painters' Palette

In the shadow of the famous red cliffs of Sedona, the ancient ruins of Palatki remain silent for nearly 700 years. The Palatki Red Cliffs is a designated World Heritage archaeological site that contains cliff dwellings, pictographs, and petroglyphs created by the Sinagua people of the Ancestral Puebloans.

- HELEN SERRAS-HERMAN

The Palatki site is under the auspices of the Coconino National Forest, Red Rock Ranger District, and managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Palatki is open every day to visitors, but because the cliff dwellings are limited to groups of 10 people at a time, reservations are required. Park-ranger-led tours occur every 30 minutes.

From the parking lot, visitors take three trails to the points of interest: one path leads to the Sinagua cliff dwellings, one to a view of the cliff dwellings, and the last to alcoves that shelter the pictographs. All trails are relatively easy to access, walking over a moderate incline.

My husband and I visited the Palatki Red Cliffs Heritage Site during one of our many trips to the Sedona and Cottonwood area. It is a beautiful site, beaming with history and art. The site is considered an Arizona treasure, with fine examples of Sinagua art and culture, set against spectacular red cliffs landscape.

THE CLIFF DWELLINGS

Archeologists believe that the construction of the cliff dwellings started around AD 1125 and that the Sinagua people used them until about AD 1300. The Sinagua people inhabited the Sedona and Verde Valley area from AD 500 to 1425. Although there remains debate over why the site was abandoned, some believe prolonged drought and warfare with enemy tribes are partly to blame.