Arizona 3

Oraibi, a Hopi Village located in in Navajo County, Arizona and is the oldest continuously inhabited community in the U.S. It is believed to have begun between 900 and 1000 A.D. and is located on Third Mesa on the Hopi Reservation. In the 1800s, droughts in the area drove many other Hopi settlements to consolidate with others for survival. By 1890, it’s believed that as much as one-half of the Hopi population resided in the tiny village of Oraibi (called Orayvi by inhabitants).

There are few pictures available today because The residents of Oraibi  ask that you respect their wishes of no photography within the village. You'll find a few craft stands where residents are selling their handcrafted dolls, baskets and pottery. And don't forget to sample their traditional piki bread if you go!

The Oraibi village  was constructed of mud and stone dwellings, clustered together, even stacked on top of one another. Stairs and, more often, ladders were used to gain access to the upper floors.  The estimated population in 1890, the time period in which the following photo was taken, was 900 residents. 

Oraibi village, 1899.