August 17, 2009

Ladders

Mesas outline the barren hot desert outside Albuquerque



60 miles west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is an ancient little village of Acoma, also known as "Sky City". This 12th century Native American pueblo, nestled on top of a 367-foot sandstone mesa, is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States. Archaelogists date the occupation of Acoma back to A.D. 1150


Click on picture to see Sky City of Acoma



Today only a few families live on the mesa. Life is very primitive. There is no electricity, plumbing or running water. Natural cisterns on the mesa trap rain water which provides drinking water for the village.


The one and only tree in the village



Outdoor bread oven



San Esteban del Rey adobe church built in 1629



The rickety old ladder



Enchanted Mesa in the distance where the Acoma people used to live



Traditionally, the outer walls of the pueblo homes had no windows or doors on the ground level. Access to the interiors was by ladders to the trap doors of their flat roofs. The ladders could then be pulled up if an enemy should attack.

In the picture below the ornate bar near the top across the 3 poles of the ladder represents a cloud through which the pointed ends of the poles pierce to help bring rain.

























This white tapered ladder reaching up to the sky reminds me of another ladder. Jacob dreamed of a ladder from earth reaching up to heaven. And in his dream, angels were ascending and descending the ladder. At the top of the ladder was Jesus Who promised Jacob that He would always be with him and take care of him. Genesis 28:12-22

We too, can claim that promise today. God will be with us and take care of us just as He did for Jacob.


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