When Hopi and Zuni prayers permanently closed Arizona’s ancient catacombs

John Hohmann’s Discovery That Sealed Casa Malpais Forever

In the early 1990s, John Hohmann made a find that shook the world of archaeology.

The bold scientist crawled on his belly through tight spaces at Casa Malpais in Arizona, where he found vast underground chambers built by the Mogollon people.

These 20-foot-high rooms held human remains and may be the first prehistoric catacombs in the Southwest. Yet when Hopi and Zuni tribes claimed these were their ancestors, science took a back seat.

As a result, Springerville sealed the sacred site with tribal prayers.

The Casa Malpais Heritage Museum now tells this story through films and artifacts, though the catacombs stay closed out of deep respect.

Small Arizona Town Hired Archaeologist to Develop Ancient Ruins

In the early 1990s, Springerville, a small town of just 2,000 people, brought in archaeologist John Hohmann from Phoenix firm Louis Berger and Associates.

They wanted to turn Casa Malpais into an archaeological park for visitors. This law created a new field called “contract archaeology” outside regular museums.

The project started because of a 1966 law that made archaeological surveys necessary before building on federal lands.

Locals knew about the 15-acre pueblo settlement where Mogollon people buried their dead about 800 years ago.

Brave Explorer Rappelled Into Mysterious Fissures With Gun in Hand

On a hot, sticky July afternoon, Hohmann and his three-person team checked out the ruins wearing what they jokingly called their “Banana Republic outfits.”

He cut through thick vines with a machete to reach rocky cliffs where he spotted an amazing spiral stairway carved into the rock.

Hohmann then rappelled down into deep cracks in the earth, carefully moving past rattlesnakes sunning on the rocks.

The team looked at caves that locals always thought held ancient burial sites.

Hidden Chambers Opened Before His Eyes After Tight Crawl

At the bottom of these deep cracks, Hohmann squeezed forward on his belly through a tight space barely big enough to move through.

He held his flashlight in one hand and a pistol in the other as he crawled. Suddenly, the space opened into a huge network of chambers, some with high, curved ceilings.

Hohmann felt what he later called “the joy that every digger of the lost past hopes for” when he saw this underground complex.

Ancient People Built First-Ever Southwestern Underground Cemetery

Hohmann found what experts now think might be the first catacombs ever found in the prehistoric Southwest.

The underground cemetery had dozens of tunnels, each with its own natural entrance from small holes to walkable passages.

These tunnels led to massive vaulted rooms up to 20 feet high and 100 feet long.

The Mogollon people took a natural underground maze and turned it into something special. No one had found anything like this in the region before.

Traces of Human Remains Showed How Mogollon Honored Their Dead

The team found signs of human remains throughout the underground chambers. They also noticed soil that looked different from the dirt around it.

The Mogollon likely brought this soil in to create proper burial floors for their dead.

These catacombs sat right beneath a large pueblo and ceremonial gathering room, built on the biggest of five stepped platforms cut into massive basalt cliffs.

This burial method was completely different from other Southwestern Indian burial practices.

News of Underground Discovery Spread Fast Among Experts

Hohmann told reporters after speaking at an archaeology meeting: “It was amazing. This will change our understanding of the prehistoric people of this region.”

The discovery of catacombs beneath Casa Malpais created buzz among archaeologists.

Stephen Lekson from the Museum of New Mexico pointed out they were seeing “an interesting variation on how people dealt with death.”

The find promised to reshape what experts knew about ancient Southwestern cultures.

Hopi and Zuni People Claimed the Buried Dead as Their Ancestors

Both Hopi and Zuni tribes strongly objected to disturbing the bodies of people they saw as their direct ancestors.

The Zuni call the area around Casa Malpais “Zuni Heaven” and believe the Little Colorado River works as an “umbilical cord” connecting them to their origins.

Hopi stories tell how several clans came directly to the Hopi mesas from the Casa Malpais area, including the Stick, Butterfly, Turkey, and Spider clans.

Both tribes viewed the site as sacred ground holding their forebears.

Centuries of Religious Pilgrimages Showed Site’s Deep Spiritual Importance

For hundreds of years, Zuni religious leaders made regular trips to sites in the Casa Malpais area where they prayed and left offerings in nearby caves.

The Hopi name for the Casa Malpais area is “Wenima,” and their stories say that kachinas once lived there.

Both tribes worked closely with the museum and archaeologists to make sure any work at the site respected Native American beliefs and customs.

Their spiritual connection to the place became the key factor in what happened next.

Town Officials Chose Respect for Native Beliefs Over Scientific Research

The city of Springerville decided to seal the catacombs, with proper prayers and offerings done by Hopi and Zuni spiritual leaders.

This choice put Native American spiritual beliefs ahead of potential research opportunities that might have come from studying the site more.

Town officials clearly stated that “out of respect, the catacombs will not be disturbed further.” Their decision marked a turning point in how archaeological finds involving indigenous burial sites are handled.

Traditional Prayers and Offerings Accompanied the Sealing Process

Hopi and Zuni spiritual leaders conducted sacred ceremonies during the sealing of the catacombs. They made traditional offerings according to their tribal customs and spiritual practices.

The ceremony paid proper respect to the ancestral remains and acknowledged the sacred nature of the burial site.

This ritual closing showed genuine respect for Native American burial traditions and spiritual beliefs in a way that few archaeological projects had done before.

Casa Malpais Today Stands as Model for Cultural Collaboration

Some parts of Casa Malpais remain off-limits to tours because of their sacred importance to tribal descendants.

Visitors to the Casa Malpais Archaeological Museum can watch a film featuring Hopi and Zuni elders talking about how their culture connects to the site.

The decision to seal the catacombs created a precedent for honoring Native American spiritual beliefs when new archaeological discoveries happen.

The site now shows how archaeologists and indigenous communities can work together with mutual respect.

Visiting Casa Malpais Site, Arizona

Casa Malpais Museum is at 418 E Main Street in Springerville, where you can learn about archaeologist John Hohmann’s discovery of underground burial chambers.

Museum admission is free, but guided site tours cost $12 for adults and run Tuesday-Saturday at 9am and 1pm from March through November.

Call 928-333-5375 for reservations.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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