Fires were kindled with a wooden spindle rotated on a hearth-stick until friction ignited some tinder underneath. The spindle might be made from Holly Grape, the hearth-stick from Yucca, and the tinder from shredded Juniper bark.
Clay pots were used for cooking vessels. These were placed directly over the fire and were able to withstand considerable heat. Some cooking may have been done over a flat rock (or comal) used as a griddle, and other foods could be broiled over the coals.
There was little opportunity for seasoning food. Salt could be obtained from the Verde Valley near Montezuma Castle about 75 miles to the south. No doubt salt was an item of barter which was eagerly sought, and instead of being found in the daily diet it may have been used almost like a confection.
For sweetening they may have used Mescal (or Century Plant). Cactus fruits and dried squash are said to have been used.
A “lemonade” beverage could be made from the berries of Sumac found occasionally on the Monument.
WHO WERE THE CLIFF DWELLERS?
Pueblo Indians are distinguished in the Southwest by a combination of three culture traits. These are the construction of communal houses, the practice of agriculture, and the making of pottery. All these traits were exhibited by the cliff dwellers in Walnut Canyon. Archeologists designate them as the Sinagua (sih-NAH-wah), and place them into the broad classification of the Pueblo III period which marked the zenith of the prehistoric Pueblo culture. There are no kivas in Walnut Canyon. The masonry is usually not coursed, perhaps because of the rough building material available.
WHY DID THE CLIFF DWELLERS LEAVE?
Several forces which may have worked singly or in combination to displace the cliff dwellers were drouth, enemy raids, and insanitary conditions. One of the most probable causes of abandonment was drouth. The Sinagua may have found it necessary to augment their water supply by making earthen dams along the lower side of natural pools (particularly farther down the canyon where it broadens). With only a slight decline in annual precipitation the stream would fail entirely in early summer and disrupt the entire community.