The Narrow Paths of Tsankawi

And the Routes to Modern Life

The irony of access to land, surrounded by well-worn paths. Charles R. Wolfe photo

I’ll admit that negotiating the narrow paths of cliff dwellers drove me crazy yesterday at the Tsankawi Ruins, an outholding of Bandelier National Monument.

Paths and ladders. Charles R. Wolfe photos

These warrens through rocks—interspersed with ladders—are constrained, trip-inducing, and precarious. But they taught…