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1991 Map of Sun Altar

Name: 1991 Topographic Map of Sun Altar
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1991
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1991

About this map

The Hopi Indian Reservation landscape is defined here by the dramatic escarpments of First Mesa and Antelope Mesa, separated by a complex network of seasonal drainages. In this arid environment, the placement of infrastructure is tied closely to the topography, as seen with the Hopi High Sch and its adjacent Athletic Fields situated on the higher ground of the mesa plateau. Water management is a central theme, evidenced by numerous check dams and named water sources like Sun Alter Spring and Jeddito Spring that have historically sustained life in this high desert.

Local habitation is marked by small clusters such as Five Houses and Windswept Terrace. The map also details the deep incisions of Keams Canyon and Polacca Wash, which channel the occasional heavy rains through the sandstone terrain. Tribal landmarks like Mots'ovi and the prominent Gray Ridge provide a clear view of the regional geography as it was recorded during the field updates of the mid-1980s.