Teens preserve their heritage

Native youths restore structures built by ancestors centuries ago

AT THE BOTTOM OF FRIJOLES CANYON, N.M. — With the sun blazing overhead, the crew of Native American youths tries to work quickly. Their hands are covered with dry, cracked mud as they repair the stone walls that make up one of the more prominent cultural sites at Bandelier National Monument.

The teens spent most of the summer helping with a massive preservation project as part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s HOPE initiative, or Hands-On Preservation Experience.

The trust teamed up with the National Park Service and the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. The goal: To train more young people in preservation skills while helping historical sites on public land. From New Mexico and Arizona to Virginia and Vermont, crews worked on some 30 projects this summer.

At Bandelier, the work has taken on a greater significance because the teens are restoring structures that were built by their ancestors centuries ago.

“I think it’s important because we need to know where we came from,” said Vidal Gonzales, 17, of Santa Clara Pueblo.

Tucked into northern New Mexico’s ancient canyons, Bandelier has a long human history that stretches back more than 11,000 years to the days when nomadic hunters and gatherers tracked wildlife across the region’s mesas and canyons.

More permanent settlements popped up several centuries ago, with the largest concentration being in Frijoles Canyon. All that’s left are the stone and mortar outlines of what were once grand multi-story structures that were built into the walls of the canyon and along Frijoles Creek.

The kids checked the capstones of each wall. If loose, they were removed, the mortar was replaced and the stones were reset. Measurements were taken and the work was documented.

The site was first excavated by Edgar Lee Hewett in the early 1900s. In 1916, Bandelier was established as a national monument.

Without the maintenance, Bandelier preservation specialist Jonathan Stark said the walls would crumble within a decade or two.

“The work that we’re doing is important to a variety of people,” Stark said. “Obviously, the visitors love coming out here and seeing this and learning the history of a place such as this. To the descendants, this is a footprint of their ancestors, something that proves they were here. It gives perspective to their younger generations.”

The crew was recruited by the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, which provides stipends and scholarships.

SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Members of an all-Native American preservation team this past summer measure walls that are being repaired at Tyuonyi Pueblo at Bandelier National Monument near Los Alamos. The tribal youths participated in the National Trust for Historic...

Vidal Gonzales, center, of Santa Clara Pueblo, applies mortar while reconstructing one of the walls at Tyuonyi Pueblo at Bandelier National Monument near Los Alamos in July.