An ancestral home part of the movement and migration of Acoma people.

About this experience

Monarch Cave

Bears Ears National Monument, Utah

Start Experience (Opens in new tab)

Published: 2025 (v1)

Story outline

  • Monarch Cave

    An ancestral home part of the movement and migration of Acoma people through the Bears Ears landscape.

  • Stop 1. Bears Ears & Acoma

    For people from the Pueblo of Acoma, this home and the surrounding landscape is the home of their ancestors. The Pueblo of Acoma is a sovereign tribal nation located in New Mexico at a place called Sky City.

  • Stop 2. Comb Ridge Communities

    Monarch is part of Comb Ridge, an 80 mile long landform that runs parallel to Butler Wash. This landform carries a deep significance for Acoma and other Pueblo people evident by the many ancestral homes throughout the area.

  • Stop 3. Visting Ancestors

    For Acoma people, asking permission before entering these places is part of the process of visiting where their ancestors reside. These places are not only significant for the people who lived here in the past, but are living places that continue to be part of Acoma people’s lives today. These homes are part of the broader living landscape.

  • Stop 4. People at Monarch

    Many different communities likely lived at this place over generations before moving on in their migration path. People here would have relied on the land for resources in building and maintaining communities requiring perseverance and hard work. The built structures, cultural objects and carvings and paintings on the wall provide insight into people’s daily lives that changed throughout the seasons.

  • Stop 5. Water & Engineering

    Water remains a critical and sacred resource in the area. The people who lived at Monarch likely utilized the natural formations of this area to mold the landscape for the easier movement and use of water. Those who chose to stay and build at Monarch were likely drawn to the area for the water both near the alcove as well as the in the wash below the canyon.

  • Stop 6. Plants & Agriculture

    The plants growing in the canyon and wash are resources that would have been critical to the lives of those living at Monarch. The significance of plants that grow in this area is also observed through Acoma pilgrimages to Bears Ears where people collect plants for spiritual and medicinal purposes.

  • Stop 7. Pilgrimage & Song

    For Acoma people, movement is life. Visiting Monarch and ancestral homes is part of how life is sustained for communities at Sky City. Songs sung in ceremonies directly reference significant places on Acoma’s migration path. Visiting these places both physically and spiritually renew connections to ancestors and the values instilled through these practices.

  • Stop 8. A Peaceful Place

    Protecting places like Monarch is critical for maintaining this peaceful home of Pueblo ancestors. Please share what you have learned with others and continue to learn more about the significance of Bears Ears and its importance for descendant communities.

Voices

  • Close up shot of man with black hair and beard with a purple shirt.

    Mr. Steven Concho

    Tribal Historic Preservation Officer

  • Close-up image of man with gray hair pulled back in a ponytail with a green collared shirt.

    Mr. Everett Garcia

    Councilman

  • Close up image of man with gray hair wearing a navy had and a blue collared shirt.

    Mr. Karl Pedro

    THPO Board Chairman

Partners

About the Project

This Tapestry experience is part of a larger project between CyArk, the Bureau of Land Management Monticello Field Office, and tribal nations including the Pueblo of Zuni, the Hopi Tribe, and the Pueblo of Acoma. This project is meant to highlight tribal nations' connections to Bears Ears.

Credits

This project was a collaboration between CyArk, the Bureau of Land Management Monticello Field Office, and the Pueblo of Acoma.

Related experience

River House (Opens in new tab) — Ancestral Pueblo home connected to Zuni people.