Structural Integrity Testing at Wupatki Pueblo

2022 Project Updates from the Getty Foundation Grant

In March of 2022, visiting researchers gathered at Wupatki Pueblo for their first site visit as a part of the $1.3 million Getty Foundation Grant.

This grant, awarded to the Center for Architectural Conservation at the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design, is focused on assessing the structural integrity of Wupatki Pueblo, on how the National Park Service can more efficiently and effectively protect the site, and addressing how climate change is affecting the site.

As a part of this collaborative project, members of the Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering from the University of Minho in Portugal investigated the pueblo room by room. The initial findings from their visits in 2022 show that overall, the architecture of Wupatki Pueblo is in good condition. They noted specific areas and concerns though, that they will continue investigating as a part of this three-year project.

After their first site visit in March, the University of Minho team identified three large cracks in the pueblo walls. While these cracks appear to be stable, they are large enough at a width of 3-4cm that they required stabilization work.

So, during a second visit in July 2022, Minho’s team used an earthen-based grout, with soils found near Wupatki Pueblo, to fill these cracks.

They will monitor and test the surfaces and materials surrounding these cracks for the next year to see how they perform and if these cracks are indeed stable.

This stabilization work presented a unique opportunity for NPS archeologists and members from a Pueblo of Zuni Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps crew to learn these advanced techniques and assist with the work.

Archeologists at the Flagstaff Area National Monuments are excited to see where these studies lead and how they can adapt their work at this important site to respond to climate change with innovative techniques and technologies.