Tuzigoot National Monument in Verde Valley

The Mingus Mountains tower over the Verde Valley in central Arizona. Through the Verde Valley runs the Verde River, which feeds the valley and helps supply communities with water in a mostly arid climate. Over 1000 years ago, the Verde Valley was home to many indigenous people. The river and mountains provided excellent opportunity for water access and for raising crops. The Sinagua people were one group of people that found a home in the valley and Tuzigoot National Monument is what is left of their community, long after the Sinagua people were gone.

A Flourishing Trade Community

The Verde Valley provided relatively easy travel through its basin and along its river. Because of this, many communities were created throughout the valley. Trade routes formed and in roughly 1000 AD the entire Valley was alive with activity. Homes were built, businesses were formed, and the resources provided by the land would provide food and shelter. The Tuzigoot monument is a testament to this and stands as one of the largest and most intact villages still present today. Though long abandoned, Tuzigoot provides a fantastic look into the past and how the indigenous people lived and worked. Around 1400 AD, the Sinagua people left the Verde Valley and the reason isn’t completely known. But it is suspected that rivalry and social conflict was a very likely reason.

In the Early 1930’s Tuzigoot was given to the Federal Government for preservation. It was excavated and preservation began. Archeologists uncovered over 110 very distinct rooms in the sprawling complex. The complex itself is 3-5 stories tall and sits atop a large hill in the middle of the Verde Valley. The rock and mud walls held up amazingly well over the centuries. Archeologist found and were able to rebuild many artifacts, such as tools and pottery. Many of the connected rooms of Tuzigoot were accessed through hatch-like openings in the roof and ladders were used instead of the space consuming stairs.

The Sinagua People

It is believed that the Sinagua people emerged from the Mogollon culture, and they occupied a large area in Arizona that stretched from the Little Colorado to the Verde Valley. They were an agricultural and hunting and gathering community. Throughout their land, they hunted almost every type of useful game and would trade furs and meat for valuable tools and metals. They also farmed such things as maize and with the help of irrigation techniques, they were also able to cultivate beans and squash.

While many of the Sinagua homes were built as large pit houses, other settlements, such as Tuzigoot, found that they would utilize a variety of techniques to build. Another example is the cliff dwelling homes also built in the Verde Valley, known as the Montezuma Castle. The Sinagua people were masterful at building homes that worked for their area and were able to adapt their homes to fit their surroundings. 

The National Monument

We stayed just outside of the city of Cottonwood, located in the valley. It was a short drive from our camp to the Tuzigoot National Monumnet. There is a visitor center at the monument and had a wealth of information about the site. On display is a model of the Tuzigoot complex and also a lot of preserved pottery and tools. The center is staffed by Park Rangers, and they are available to answer any questions you may have about the history of the site. You can also purchase souvenirs and get your park passport stickers and stamps.

Admission to the monument at the time of our visit was $10 and it also allowed the visitor admission to the Montezuma Castle another short drive away in the valley. Because we had an annual National Park Pass, we were able to show it and get free admission into both monuments. Some of the monument is visible from the drive up to the park and as you walk outside the visitor center, there is a paved path uphill to the monument. The path does travel upward to the monument, but it’s just a short walk. We are both impaired by leg and knee problems, but we were able to make the walk easily.

 

Along the path to the top of the monument, the view is spectacular. Looking out from atop the hill that the old settlement is crested on allows you to imagine what the Sinagua people must have enjoyed about the area. Far below the top, and on the floor of the valley, is a covering a greenery provided by natural trees and various plants. As I walked toward the summit, I was first puzzled as to why they would want to make the climb each time they came back to their homes. But once at the top, you realize the protection offered from rivals that such an elevated position had to have given them. From the top, you could look out and imagine a bustling population in the valley. You could picture dirt paths to the bottom being used by men and women to carry their trade goods to and from. I wondered if children played on the hillside and what games they played.

The pathways around the monument take you inside the large rooms of Tuzigoot. Stairs built for tourists didn’t exist back then, but you could see how a network of ladders would have provided access to the various room. At the very top of the monument lies the foundation of a single large room that crested the complex. It would have probably been used as a community room or a lookout point.

An Educational Stopping Point

Arizona is home to so many natural and man-made wonders. Tuzigoot is a combination of both. The Verde Valley and overlooking mountains are a wonder themselves. But Tuzigoot is a man-made wonder that gives a distinct look into the past. We enjoyed our visit and walked away with more knowledge than we anticipated. Our visit was only about an hour or so, but I could see where a person could spend hours there, learning and imagining first-hand how the Sinagua people lived at Tuzigoot. If you are in the Verde Valley, it should definitely be on the list of stops.