Homolovi Ruins State Park

Homolovi was a crossroads of trade during pre-Columbian times. This is one of the few safe crossings of the Little Colorado, which is known for extensive beds of quicksand. As a result of this trading, many types of pottery are found at Homolovi.

In the high grassland of 14th century northern Arizona, an ancient people found a home along the Little Colorado River. These people, the Hisat'sinom (known to archaeologists as the Anasazi), paused in their migrations to till the rich flood plain and sandy slopes before continuing north to join people already living on the mesas, people who are today known as the Hopi.

The Hopi people of today still consider Homolovi, as well as other precolumbian sites in the southwest, to be part of their homeland. They continue to make pilgrimages to these sites, renewing the ties of the people with the land. The Hopi tell us that the broken pottery and stones are now part of the land and are the trail the Bahana will follow when he returns. Therefore, these are mute reminders that the Hopi continue to follow the true Hopi way and the instructions of Masau'u.

The years have brought many changes to Homolovi. The migrations ended when the people settled at the center of the world, the Hopi Mesas north of Homolovi. However, as new people appeared, such as the Diné (Navajo) and later the Europeans, the Hopi watched as their homeland was occupied by the new people. Eventually they also saw these people begin destroying their ancient homes, digging in these sacred sites for curios and for items to sell.

In an effort to protect some of these sites, the Hopi people supported the idea of Homolovi Ruins State Park. This idea resulted in the establishment of the park in 1986 and the opening of the park in 1993.

Homolovi Ruins State Park now serves as a center of research for the late migration period of the Hopi from the 1200s to the late 1300s. While archaeologists study the sites and confer with the Hopi to unravel the history of Homolovi, Arizona State Parks provides the opportunity for visitors to visit the sites and use park facilities including a visitor center and museum, various trails and a campground. Several covered picnic tables are located throughout the park. Pullouts provide the opportunity to observe wildlife in this park of over 4,000 acres at an elevation of 4,900 feet.

“Homolovi” is Hopi for “Place of the Little Hills” — the traditional name for Winslow, Arizona.

On-Going Events

Hopi Artist Demonstration each Saturday through 12/20, 9 am – 4 pm at the Homolovi Visitor Center. A Hopi artist will be demonstrating potting, weaving, kachina carving, etc.

Download Audio Walking Tour of Homolovi II Site

You can listen online or download to your personal MP3 player ( 35 MB MP3) a tour of the Homolovi II Site. This fascinating audio tour is a great introduction to the park, and a great way to learn more about the area and its history. To Download the MP3: Windows Users: Right Click Download Link. Mac Users: Control+Click Download Link. You may also read instructions to manually import MP3s into iTunes or other software compatible with various digital audio devices. This Audio Walking Tour was made possible by a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council.

Did You Know?

This is a sacred place to the Hopi people. Each broken piece of pottery, each stone fragment, each ancient wall, and each figure pecked into stone by their ancestors is sacred and deserves our respect. In addition, state and federal laws are actively enforced to protect these sites.

Removal or damage of any site, artifact, artifact fragment, or rock art can incur penalties under state law of 5 years in prison and a maximum $150,000 fine. We therefore ask that you respect the wishes of the Hopi people ... Enjoy Homolovi, but leave the sites as you find them.

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Homolovi Ruins State Park

On-Going Events

Download Audio Walking Tour of Homolovi II Site

Did You Know?