Exploring the Ruins of Tuzigoot at Crooked Water
May 2021
The Legacy of Tuzigoot
After our morning activity, we continued with a beautiful drive through the Tonto National Forest. One of our stops was at the Tuzigoot National Monument, whose name means “Crooked Water” in Tonto Apache. It is a fitting title for a location overlooking the Verde River. The monument is the largest and best-preserved of the many Sinagua pueblo ruins in the Verde Valley.
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During our self-guided walking tour, we read that this two- to three-story complex had over 100 rooms and was built between 1125 and 1400 CE on a ridge 120 feet above the floodplain. This gave inhabitants a 360-degree view so they could watch their corn, beans, and squash fields , and see visitors from miles away. Tuzigoot was more than just a farming village, though. It was also a trade hub, as archaeologists have found several items from Mexico and California at this location.
The Sinagua used thick limestone walls for natural insulation. This kept the interior cool in the Arizona heat and warm during winter nights. Interestingly, the inhabitants entered each room from the roofs via ladders. As we learned more, it became clear that the Sinagua abandoned the entire Verde Valley in the early 1400s. Why they left remains one of the Southwest’s greatest mysteries. . However, the Sinagua people did not simply vanish. Oral histories and archaeological evidence suggest that they joined the ancestors of the modern Hopi and Zuni tribes.