Casa Grande National Monument Prehistoric Ruins
by Jim Gressinger on Mar. 11, 2012, under Astronomy, Day/Weekend Adventures, Local Attractions, Local History, Native American Culture, Things To Do With The Kidz
Casa Grande National Monument Prehistoric Ruins
Ms. Karen, my father, Bill, and I took off Friday to visit Casa Grande National Monument Prehistoric Ruins. This place has been on Ms. Karen’s bucket list for as long as we’ve lived in Tucson. I wasn’t so enthusiastic because I had seen a few Google photos and it didn’t look all that interesting.
As usual, Ms. Karen was right. This prehistoric site is seriously interesting. Our federal tax dollars have paid for a very fine visitors center. The docent who led the tour was both knowledgeable and entertaining.
The Hohokam built this city in a most inhospitable place. They had to bring water to their desert agricultural fields from the Gila River via deep canals.
The purpose of the “Big House” is unknown, but clearly it had some astrological function involving the sun and moon. Archeologist speculate that the city was abandoned around 1300 A.D. because drought made the agriculture necessary to sustain such a large population impossible.
A model of the interior construction of the large ruin, once 4 stories tall.
