In total there are more than 800 identified ruins spread around many miles of desert within Wupatki National Monument, but five of the largest are close to the main road. All the houses were inhabited by the Anasazi and Sinagua Indians during the 12th and 13th centuries - the settlement of this region was influenced by the eruption of nearby Sunset Volcano during the winter of 1064-5, as the resulting ash and lava made the surrounding land infertile and so the residents of that area moved further afield into land previously considered too dry and barren. In the early 13th century all the pueblos were abandoned, as were most other settlements in this part of the Southwest, although it is believed that the present day Hopi are descended from the former inhabitants of this region.