It would be really disappointing to go on a trip to a national park and then find out that part of it was closed due to the irresponsible actions of a few people. That happened to one Reddit user during a trip to a national park in New Mexico.
Bandelier National Monument features ancestral Pueblo cave chambers carved into the rock walls. Ladders lead into some of these ancient rooms, allowing visitors to climb into the past and get a glimpse of how the ancestral Puebloans lived.
Photo credit: Reddit
A Redditor posted a photo on the r/mildly annoyed subreddit showing the outside of one of the ancient carved caves. The ladder is obstructed by a piece of wood and wrapped with caution tape. Next to the ladder was a temporary sign explaining the cave that read “Closed Due to Vandalism.”
“It’s infuriating when people deface things like this,” they wrote in the caption.
This particular stop on the Pueblo Loop Trail is known as Cave Kiva. The kivas were the centers of Pueblo society and served as ceremonial rooms, private clubs, and men’s lounges.
This is extremely frustrating considering the sign specifically asks people to show the respect Kiva deserves. “This ladder is [takes] You will be taken to a very sacred place known as Cave Kiva [that] You deserve respect,” the sign reads. “…Kivasu was and is the center of religious and social life for the Pueblo people.”
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This act of vandalism disrespects the people who once lived in these homes and other visitors who want to experience these places. The sign next to the ladder says it best: “Please leave it where it is so you and others can appreciate its important story with respect and awe.”
Spending time in nature or visiting a national park is a great way to build connections with the world around you, and inspires us to value our homes rather than exploit them. should give you a ration.
Actions like the one that led to the closure of this kiva will ruin the experience for other visitors and create unnecessary work for park rangers and others who maintain these places.
The National Park Service says this is a common problem. “Unfortunately, this Kiva Caveat needs to be regularly smoked and re-plastered to remove graffiti left by visitors. Please help us save it.”
People in the comments section were equally annoyed.
One person wrote, “Good things are hard to come by when people go out of their way to do this specifically.”
Some floated suggestions for punishment for vandals.
“Anyone found guilty in this case should receive a mandatory prison sentence,” one person wrote.
Another person had a more constructive suggestion. “What if we had them clean up graffiti, clogged toilets, and cigarette butts in national parks?”
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