Leandro Thomas Gonzales

Living in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, the Anasazi Indians enjoyed a good and bountiful life. Yet, for some reason, they abandoned their village and all that remains are the ruins of Tyuoni at the Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico. In this work of fiction, Jopin, an eighty year-old elder desperate for an answer, embarks on a prayer quest that takes him on a chain of events which will unveil the fate of Tyuoni. Deer-tracker, his pre-teen grandson, and Knee-nose, a young spotted deer, help Jopin deal with Chief Salamander’s questionable actions and motives as the tribe journeys on a treacherous and intriguing odyssey. In his story, the author strives to demonstrate how a significant religious event could have influenced the people to abandon their majestic village, join the Great Migration, and follow the spinning sun to their new homeland, even though popular belief purports that the Anasazi vanished because of war, severe drought, or famine. The wonder of living in such an extraordinary time and place will provoke interest in the age-old mystery of what really happened.