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The many settlement sites scattered throughout the monument were built by the Ancient Pueblo Peoples, more specifically the Sinagua, beginning in the 12th century. They subsisted primarily on corn and squash raised from the arid land without irrigation. Sinagua agriculture benefited from volcanic ash deposited by Sunset Crater Volcano, which improved the soil's ability to retain water.
The Sinagua dwellings, the walls of many of which still stand, were constructed from flat red stones held together with mortar. Each settlement was constructed as a single building, sometimes with scores of rooms. The largest settlement on monument territory is the namesake Wupatki Ruin, built around a natural rock outcropping.