4 awesome ruins for history buffs in Arizona
Updated: 4 days ago
I've only been to Arizona on work trips (snooze) so hadn't really had the chance to explore beyond the main commercial districts until a recent trip with my family. I seriously had no idea that Arizona had so many amazing ruins!
Here were a few highlights:
Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
About ninety minutes south of the Grand Canyon, not far from Flagstaff is the Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. The monument protects the ruins of ancient Native American pueblos that were inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Sinagua people, between 500 and 1225 AD. This community flourished in the area starting about 100 years after the Sunset Volcano eruption. The area is known for its striking red sandstone structures, vast desert landscapes, and its significance in Native American history.
You can also hike through the lava flow; which feels like it happened only a short time ago. There were about 600 volcanic cones in the area and there is still some geologic activity.
Heading south (almost to the Mexican boarder) we visited Tumacácori National Historical Park which contains the ruins of three Spanish mission communities: Mission San José de Tumacácori, Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi, and Mission San Cayetano de Calabazas.
These missions were part of a chain of missions established by Spanish Jesuits and later Franciscans in the 17th and 18th centuries to spread Christianity among the indigenous people of the region. The park offers a glimpse into the early colonial history of the American Southwest and the cultural interactions between Native Americans and European settlers. You can walk around the grounds and even go in some of the original buildings which feels like stepping back into history (and maybe the tiniest bit creepy).
One little adder to this day trip- on our way back to Tucson we visited the town of Tubac. There were so many amazing shops, galleries and restaurants! We had an amazing lunch at Soto’s Outpost Mexican Restaurant
Petroglyphs in Saguaro National Park
Signal Hill is the most famous and accessible petroglyph site within Saguaro National Park. It features a large number of petroglyphs on boulders at the top of a small hill, with designs that include spirals, animals, and abstract patterns. These petroglyphs are believed to have been created by the Hohokam people between 450 and 1450 AD.
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
The Casa Grande Ruins are the remains of a large adobe structure built by the Hohokam people around 1350 AD. "Casa Grande" means "Big House" in Spanish, was named late 17th century Spanish explorers. The purpose of the structure is still somewhat of a mystery, but it is believed to have been a central hub for the community, possibly serving as a gathering place, storage facility, or astronomical observatory.
This trip was amazing because I came away from it with a greater appreciation of the people and history for the region.
