Throwback Thursday; Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Back in 2012 I visited a large number of National Parks and National Monuments. One of the closest National Monuments to me was Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.

Casa Grande essentially means "Big House" translated into English. The Casa Grande Ruins are well preserved Pueblo Structures located off of AZ 87/287 near the Gila River in Pinal County. The Casa Grande is the largest remaining Pueblo Structure of many at the National Monument site which is thought to have been abandoned by approximately 1450 AD. The Casa Grande is three stories high along the outer rooms and four stories high in the center.

The Casa Grande Ruins were created by Hohokam civilization which once farmed the Gila River Valley during the 13th century. Nobody I've seen really can seem to pin down why so many tribes disappeared from Arizona during the 13th and 14th century. I've seen theories ranging from climate change to volcanic activity near Sunset Crater being cited as possible causes. The Casa Grande Ruins were discovered by Europeans in 1694 and they became a National Monument by 1918. I'm to understand the roof structure over the Casa Grade dates back to 1932.

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