Tuzigoot National Monument: a castle in the desert

while in the Cottonwood area on an adventure i saw a sign for the Tuzigoot National Monument. now in my many drives up and down i17 i had often seen signs for it, but i never had a chance to stop there until recently. honestly once i passed through old cottonwood and onto what looked like a pretty empty road i was not expecting much. even upon crossing over the Verde river and seeing what looked like a pile of rocks on a small hill, i will admit i wasnt impressed. but when i entered the information building to pay my whole five dollar entry fee (cheap as shit, and totally worth it) and proceeded to read about the people who called this stone city on the top of a hill home, i started to be impressed.

Tuzigoot was originally built between 1125 and 1400 CE by the Sinagua people. they built this city on the top of  hill, the highest point in the valley that they farmed- giving them an incredible view of everything around them for miles. there were over 110 rooms built and yet, doors werent very popular, instead they used ladders through trapdoor like openings.

walking up the steep, winding path to the ruins i must admit i began to feel awe. looking around me at the lush, green fields and the distant but distinct sound of the water of the Verde i began to see what was tactically speaking a fabulous location. off in the distance i could even see the city of Jerome.

the buildings seemed haphazardly stacked on top of each other and while i walked i began to see a layout that made sense to me. the walls are made of what looks like stones roughly shaped, but modern at the same time. the rooms sit on each other, tightly stacked and as you end up higher and higher in the complex the view becomes more and more amazing.

there is one building that they restored enough to have you walk on the roof to look out over the valley and its pretty awesome. honestly, the inside reeks of bat guano, but with it totally open to the elements it makes sense that they would make a home there.

 

some of the details i found really interesting were the importance of the valley for trade routes, the pottery, and the mining history of the area. seriously, now shit. without the use of modern technology the indigenous tribes of the area had mined 20 feet into the solid rock mountain side to harvest minerals to decorate pottery, make dyes, create jewelry and make up for the lack of salt in their diet. badass, considering that was accomplished with rocks on rock violence.

also, the trade of the pottery was really interesting. the pottery done by the original indigenous people was very simple and utilitarian, but there were gorgeous pieces decorated with lovely patterns that were from other locations and were obviously highly prized by the families that lived there.

The Domes: urban decay in the middle of nowhere

there is a place near Casa Grande in Arizona that holds a great deal of stories and embellishments. of course because of its current state of decay and off beat location it has also developed a bit of an odd reputation. this place is the Domes, and not a whole ton of information is known, but wild mass guessing is quite prevalent.

i first heard of this place two ways, one was by a bike friend of mine who just love riding any and every road he can. his current goal is to ride every paved road in arizona. more power to you man, good luck and be safe because im a bit jealous of your quest.

the second way i heard about the Domes was through a website called Atlas Obscura (www.atlasobscura.com) that i enjoy haunting because it has helped me plan some interesting trips. i highly recommend going to the site and looking up your home area because it might blow you away to see whats hiding near by.

 

now the atlas says the Domes are haunted, used for satan worships, teenage beer drinking and graffiti- i would say yes to 90% of that. i find the satan worship a little hard to believe but thats mostly because im from new england and when i think satan worshippers i think stepford smilers which makes me think WASP families hiding their evil ways behind perfectly maintained colonial styles homes build on the edge of the national seashore under the veneer of protestant christianity and old world blood/trust fund life styles.

 

what i did note while there was that the was certainly a lot of garbage abandoned there, there was a ton of graffiti, what looked like the camp of some squatters and probably the most awesome acoustics ever. i was also surprised by the lack of structural supports of rebar to reinforce the concrete buildings- so the collapsed holes in the wall and ceilings were quite unsurprising. i would also was the site is fabulous for a backdrop for a shoot.

after digging on the net i found an article that said the site was originally built to be a computer technology and manufacturing site owned by Patricia Zebb back in the early 1980s. searching for more information involving her does pop up, even the business she owned back then and planned on moving to the Domes- InnerConn Technology Inc.. so having found that she is in fact real i have more interest in why the idea and site was abandoned. apparently a loan was defaulted on, as well as contaminated ground water was found.

i will say it is private property. so trespassers understand that you can be persecuted for exploring. i will also stress that there is a lot or sharp broken glass and rusted debris all over the place as well as a tunnel system- so be very careful.

p.s. i will be going back to take better photos. sadly that involves me buying a better camera.