Description

Walpi Village, a Hopi village established around 900 AD. It is located east of the Grand Canyon in Navajo County, northern Arizona. Walpi is the Hopi term for "place of the notch." 

Perched on a narrow finger of First Mesa in the heart of the Hopi Nation in northwest Arizona, Walpi is the mother village of eleven (11) surrounding Hopi settlements. Originally established in the thirteenth century at the base of the mesa, Walpi was moved to its current location as a defensive measure after the Pueblo Revolt against the Spanish in 1680. The village was built using hand-trimmed sandstone and earth. The roofs consist of lestavi (structural beams) and wu’na o’ye (smaller poles resting on the lestavi) capped with layers of brush and clay. The village has retained its historical integrity by avoiding the introduction of running water and electricity, and the walls of its buildings are still hand-plastered by local women. Walpi leads the surrounding First Mesa villages in religious rituals and is also the residence for the Kikmongwi, the village leader. It is a significant Native American site that represents traditional Hopi architecture and identity.

NOTE: Sharlot Hall Museum Research Center has more Hopi photographs; however these are restricted and can only be viewed by approval from the Hopi Cultural Center (email: info@hopiculturalcenter.com or telephone 928-734-2401).