Sunday, February 28, 2021

2/14 Tuzigoot National Monument, Cottonwood, AZ

I'm am trying to catch up with postings for February, so here is one I should have posted two weeks ago!!   I've posted on this before, but in case you missed the old posting....

This place is on a ridge about a half-mile north of the town of Cottonwood, AZ, so it is easy to reach if you are staying near there.  It is also not that far away from Sedona, AZ.  I was staying at Dead Horse Ranch SP and could see this from the campground, although it would have been a very long hike to get there.  Better to drive.  Luckily, the small visitor center was open and the ruins themselves are outdoors, so it is an easy place to visit in a pandemic.  It is not a large place, so you can walk around it in about 30-45 minutes.

Tuzigoot was built on a ridge by the Sinagua people near Mesa Verde river.  They grew crops in the flood plain and hunted deer and other animals in the area.  It originally had 110 rooms and was occupied between 1125 and 1400 CE. 


The visitor center.

And some of the displays inside. 

Quite a view from this place.  The town halfway up the mountain is Jerome, AZ.  It is an old copper mining town and there is a mining museum part way up that is now a state park.  It is a steep drive up the mountain if you are driving or pulling an RV, so better to go up in a car.

Back to Tuzigoot and views of some of the rooms.






It was a beautiful 70 degree day with a light breeze, so it was a perfect day for a visit.


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