‌

Hopi House | A tribute to the Pueblo culture and crafts

Hopi House, a National Historic Landmark, is located at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, near the famous El Tovar Hotel. This gift shop features local indigenous arts and crafts. The structure holds historical significance, showcasing the traditional Pueblo architecture of the Hopi tribe.

About the Hopi House | An overview

Hopi House

Address:  Hopi House, Rim Trail, Grand Canyon Village, AZ 86023, United States | Find on Maps

  • The Hopi House was established in 1905 as an attraction and marketplace that displayed Native American art and culture.
  • Here, Hopi artisans lived and worked, interacting with guests about their traditional life and handicrafts, which they crafted on site.
  • When Mary Colter designed the Hopi House, she wanted to highlight and preserve the Hopis' unique architectural style so that the structure blended into its surroundings and gave its visitors an authentic experience of being inside a Hopi dwelling.
  • There were even evening performances by the indigenous people every evening that attracted scores of tourists. 
  • Today, a century later, guests can still buy locally made arts and crafts, such as kachinas, Indigenous jewelry, hand-woven Navajo rugs, traditional pottery, and other items. The second floor also has a gallery and a shrine containing Hopi religious artifacts.

Hopi House | Architecture and design

View of Hopi House
  • Mary Colter was commissioned by the Fred Harvey Company, which wanted to cash in on the emerging interest in Southwestern indigenous arts and crafts on the East Coast. The structure was made in the style of Hopi Pueblo dwellings at Old Oraibi.
  • Colter hired local Hopi workers to make the house so that the authenticity of the architecture was ensured.
  • The three-story dwelling was made using local sandstone and adobe masonry so that it could blend into its natural surroundings. The roof was thatched using saplings and timber with a mud covering, resting on peeled log beams.
  • The interiors feature small windows and low ceilings designed to keep the harsh desert sunlight out.
  • Hopi murals decorate the walls, while fireplaces with chimneys made of broken pottery stand in the corners.
  • There is a Hopi sand painting and even a kiva, which is a Hopi ceremonial altar.
  • To accommodate modern tourism, however, Colter added a front entrance in place of the traditional roof, which was accessed by a ladder.

About the Hopi Tribe and Pueblo culture

Indigenous tribes in Grand Canyon
  • The Hopi are an indigenous tribe settled primarily in northeastern Arizona. They consider their land sacred and consider themselves the caretakers of the land they received from their ancestors.
  • The Hopi have inhabited the region for centuries. In fact, the Old Oraibi, one of the four original Hopi villages, was founded in A.D. 1100. After they encountered the Spaniards in the 16th century, they came to be known as the Pueblo people, although currently, there are a number of tribes who are also considered Puebloans.
  • The Hopi people are skilled craftsmen. Some of their most celebrated handmade wares are katsina dolls, earthenware ceramics, and sterling silver jewelry, among others.

​Learn more about Grand Canyon's history

About Mary Colter

Mary Colter was a famous architect and designer who worked extensively on the Grand Canyon area for the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railroad. She was one of the few established female architects in her day, when architecture was a heavily male-dominated field. She was a big believer in using local resources to build her projects so as to complement the landscape that the structures were a part of.

Some of Colter's most iconic projects in the Grand Canyon National Park are:

  • Hermit's Rest (1914): This spot was built as a resting place for travellers who took the short stage line from El Tovar. The design was created to look like the work of an untrained mountain man who built a dwelling with whatever he found nearby, such as timber and boulders.
  • Lookout Studio (1914): The Lookout Studio is another timber and boulder structure that Colter designed to give visitors a photography spot and viewpoint on the edge of a precipice of the Grand Canyon. It was made to look like a part of the natural landscape of the area.
  • Phantom Ranch (1922): The Phantom Ranch is the only lodging facility below the canyon rim and was an architectural challenge to construct. The rustic stone cabins of the Ranch are made of wood and native stone to help them blend in.
  • The Desert View Watchtower (1932): This tower dominates the landscape and offers panoramic views of the Grand Canyon. Colter took inspiration from the ancestral Puebloan people and was inspired by the designs she saw in Hovenweep and the Round Tower of Mesa Verde.
  • Bright Angel Lodge (1935): This lodge was designed to cater to visitors who wanted more moderate accommodations than the upscale El Tovar Hotel. Colter even included some historical structures in the Bright Angel Lodge complex to preserve them—Buckey O’Neill Cabin and the Red Horse Station.
  • Victor Hall (1936) and Colter Hall (1937): These dormitories were made for the employees of the Fred Harvey Company, as the number of workers increased with increasing demand. Colter used pressed concrete masonry units, clapboard siding, and rough stones for the dorms.

Frequently asked questions about Hopi House

Some sections of the Hopi House are wheelchair accessible, but they must be narrower than 29 inches.

More reads

Yavapai Geology Museum

Yavapai Geology Museum

Grand Canyon Railway

Grand Canyon Railway

South Rim Tours

South Rim Tours