Browse by Title: P

piñon

The piñón or pinyon, is a type of pine tree that is native to the American Southwest and is common in the woodlands of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada,…

piñon jay

A large blue-grey song bird similar to a crow, the piñon jay is found in the Western Great Basin of North American, including the U.S. Southwest, especially in…

piñon nuts

Piñon or pine nuts are in fact not nuts but the seeds of the piñon pine tree, which is native to and common in the American Southwest. These seeds are edible and for…

pinto

Spanish for spotted or painted with color, the pinto is a horse with a spotted coat of different colors. Pintos are most often associated with the Plains Indians of…

pipe

A smoking implement with a hollow bowl attached to a long hollow stem. Tobacco is placed in the bowl, and once lit, the smoker inhales on the stem.

Piper (Aircraft Corporation)

The term Piper refers to a small, general aviation aircraft, usually used for private flights. The Piper Aircraft Corporation was established in 1937 by William T.…

pistol

A pistol is a firearm, or gun, that can be used with one hand, leaving the other hand free for defense or the use of another weapon. There are two main classes of…

piston

A central component in many engines and mechanisms, a piston is short, cylindrical part that moves up and down inside a fitting tube as a result of expanding gas or…

pith

Pith is the continuous rope-like strand of spongy core tissue comprising the stem structure of many vascular plants.

Piutki, Arizona

In Tony Hillerman’s novel, The Dark Wind, Piutki appears to be a small community located on the Hopi Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona. There is, however, no…

plaid shirt

A buttoned shirt, usually made of flannel or soft, twilled wool, with a chechered or tartan pattern.

Plains Indians

This regional classification is used to describe the variety of distinct Native American tribes who traditionally called the Great Plains and prairie regions of North…

plaster

A mixture of lime or gypsum, sand, and water that is applied to the walls of structures as a sealant. In the Southwest, many pueblos are made of adobe, which comes from…

plate glass

A type of high quality glass, characterized by its exceptionally smooth surface, which is produced by the grinding and polishing of large sheets of rolled glass. Plate…

plateau

An elevated, fairly level expanse of land raised sharply above adjacent land.

plaza

An architectural feature found in the built environments of many cultures around the world, plazas are open spaces for public functions around which structures form an…

Pleiades

A cluster of seven stars located outside of our solar system. Historically, the Pleiades were very important to many world cultures. For people in the Northern…

Pleistocene

Also known in a general sense as "the Ice Age," the Pleistocene Epoch ended between 13,000 - 9,000 years ago and is the most recent period when the Northern Hemisphere…

plexiglass

A solid, durable material made of acrylic plastic. Plexiglass can be molded into transparent, heat and shatter resistant sheets that resemble glass. Plexiglass is the…

pliers

A hand tool used to grab, pinch, pull, bend, cut,turn, twist, or hold objects depending on formation of their pincers, also known as their nose.

Plymouth (automobile)

A brand of American car, first introduced by the Chrysler corporation in the 1920s as a low-cost sub-brand that would compete with Chevrolet and Ford, the two-most…

plywood

A wood panel that is manufactured by gluing thin sheets of wood together. Although the wood sheets are thin, the combination of multiple layers of wood and resin (…

Point of the Mountain Prison, Utah

Officially known as the Utah State Prison in Draper, this correction facility was opened in 1951 and today can house approximately 4,500 inmates. The Draper Prison…

Polacca Wash, Arizona

One of the major drainage pathways of the Black Mesa plateau, located on the Hopi Reservation in Northern Arizona. Black Mesa rises to about 7,000 feet above sea level…

Polack

An ethnic slur directed at individuals of Polish descent, suggesting characteristics of ignorance and stupidity.