Arizona's Tuzigoot National Monument: Ancient Legacy of the Sinagua People

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The Tuzigoot National Monument is a small national monument located in the Verde Valley, in the southwestern US state of Arizona. The monument contains the ruins of an ancient pueblo village built by the Sinagua people. The pueblo was built around 1000 AD and was occupied for four centuries before its abandonment. The archaeological evidence suggests that human beings were already present in the Verde Valley as far back as 10,000 years ago. The builders of the site were the Sinagua people , who were mostly agriculturalists. The archaeological evidence, however, suggests that the Sinagua were also involved in long-distance trade .

The Sinagua built various pueblos, or villages in the Verde Valley, and Tuzigoot was one of them. Over time, the site expanded, an eventually contained as many as 110 rooms. The pueblo was also visible from many of the other hills, which would have had pueblos of their own. It is crucial to remember that Tuzigoot was not the only pueblo in the area, but part of a larger landscape of pueblos. Many of the other Sinagua pueblos in the Verde Valley can still be seen today.

The location of Tuzigoot offered its inhabitants many advantages. For instance, there is easy access to a source of reliable, year-round water, i.e., the Verde River, and the floodplains are ideal for the cultivation of water-intensive crops. Thanks to these advantages, the Sinagua who built Tuzigoot flourished for about 400 years. In the early 15th century, however, the Sinagua suddenly abandoned the site. There are various theories that attempt to explain the disappearance of the Sinagua. The primary one is a drop in rainfall , which made the area no longer suitable for habitation.

Today, the Tuzigoot National Monument is open to the public. The national monument is open daily from 0800 to 1700, with the exception of Christmas and New Year’s Day. There is an entrance fee to the site. Apart from the pueblo, the public can also visit the museum, which houses about 3000 Sinagua artifacts , including ceramics, lithic artifacts, and cotton fabrics.

https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-americas/tuzigoot-national-monument-0015895

Tuzigoot National Monument
(George H.H. Huey / Alamy Stock Photo)

[Bayard]

1. SO impressive!

And no mortar. Have never heard of this culture--thanks.

[Deuxcents]

2. Wow..just wow

My father lived south of Tucson..he took us to a few places and I wish we had gone to his site.