Native American Archaeology in the Parks by Kenneth L. Feder

Author:Kenneth L. Feder
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2022-08-18T00:00:00+00:00

Figure 15.5. “The multistory Square Tower built on the base of the canyon. Hovenweep Castle looms above and to the right.“ KEN FEDER

position near Stronghold House. It’s an easy, albeit uphill hike back to the visitor center from there. You can take the hike I have just described in the opposite direction if you prefer. Overall, the round-trip hike, including the side trip to Tower Point, is about two miles, maybe a little more, and should take about two hours, including stopping along the way at each of the accessible structures on the rim of the canyon.

Pretty clearly, some of the structures in the Tower Group at Hovenweep were residences, including Hovenweep House and Hovenweep Castle. The purpose of some of the other structures, however, is unclear. The Twin Towers, the Tower Point structure, and Square Tower likely would not have been residences. They each have a rather small footprint and are just tall; well, they are towers. Could they have been storage facilities, perhaps for corn? Maybe. Some suggest that they were, in fact, lookouts, places where residents of Hovenweep Castle or Hovenweep House could have surveyed their surroundings for dangers in the form of strangers. That could make sense but what was the purpose of Square Tower, for which the entire group around the canyon gets its name? That tower was built at the bottom of the canyon, which makes little sense as a lookout. I’ve seen the possibility presented that fires may have been built on the tops of the towers to signal folks living in some of the other structures located in the other nearby groups. Since the tops of the towers are gone, there’s no way of testing for the existence of those fires and, once again, Square Tower’s location and context simply don’t conform to that explanation.

Oh well, let’s admit that we aren’t sure about the overall meaning of the towers, but that won’t prevent you from enjoying this intriguing and beautiful group of buildings and this wonderful national monument.

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