Tuzigoot National Monument

You wander around the desert outside Sedona and you're constantly amazed by all the natural formations poking up and undulating out of the landscape. Then you come upon Tuzigoot, and your eyes fly cartoon-like out of your head.

Because there, on the top of a hill sits a nine-hundred year old chunk of stone put entirely there by people. The structure contains the remnants of some 110 rooms and spans an area large enough so that a lot of the tourists pop their heads around and say "I'm good," and just head back to the visitor's center.

It's not a fair comparison, but while Europe was suffering a long, dark period of its civilization, here in the Americas, populations were thriving, and new technology of all kinds was being employed to accommodate them.

Here in the Verde River Valley, a group of people later named Sinaguan (without water), put together workable communities in some of the harshest conditions on the planet. They were all to be abandoned later -- by some accounts because of extended droughts -- but what they did here is nothing short of miraculous.

I have plenty more to show from this site, but for now, take a gander at this spreading honeycomb of brick and clay, still standing (though patched and repaired by modern caretakers) nearly a thousand years after its construction.

And renew your appreciation for the native peoples of this continent. They did not simply survive. They built and fortified and settled and grew. You may look for a culture gap between the new world and the old if you so choose.

But come to this place and you will have a hard time finding it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuzigoot_National_Monument

Pretty cool to walk around for a short visit.

No doubt as fascinating for us today as it was for the people who first lived here, the structure at Tuzigoot almost defies credibility. It sits in the middle of what you could arguably call "nowhere" and stretches for acres in all directions.

This turret on top is its crowning glory. Archeologists theorize that the chamber inside was probably used for religious services and community gatherings, though there is hardly any evidence to support it. It's not difficult to expand on that and posit that it must also have been used as a place from which to survey the valley, whether to check on the progress of the current crop or to keep an eye out for invaders. Let me say that this latter hypothesis is strictly my own, though it can hardly be original.

As I mentioned before, this is probably one of the most important historical sites of pre-Columbian North America. The Sinaguans are a mysterious people, who came and went with hardly a trace -- though several modern tribes claim them as their ancestors.

What they built in that short time is a marvel (if not a miracle), and anyone who lives here should avail themselves of the opportunity to see what was accomplished in the harsh and unforgiving desert so many centuries ago.

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Activities

Rejseguide til Clarkdale

Dagsture og udflugter

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Sedona rideture på Dead Horse Ranch med River Crossing

Private ture

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Sedona rideture på Dead Horse Ranch med River Crossing

Kåret som Bedst i Sedona-smagninger inkluderet! EKSPRESS PRIVAT VIN-TUR

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Vandoplevelser

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Fra Cottonwood: Guidet kajaktur på Verde-floden

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Kajakfiskeri på Verde River Cottonwood, AZ 20 minutter fra Sedona

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Populære steder at besøge

Verde Canyon Railroad

Brug lidt tid på udstillingerne i Verde Canyon Railroad, som er et museum med masser af historie bag sig, på din tur til Clarkdale. Mens du besøger området, kan du nyde udvalget af hyggelige kaffebarer.

Pine Shadows Golf Course

Sving golfkøllerne i Cottonwood ved Pine Shadows Golf Course. Dette familievenlige område er kendt for sin flodbred, som du kan bruge lidt tid på, eller du kan prøve nogle af de mange aktiviteter, som eksempelvis ridning.

Jerome State Historic Park

Brug lidt tid på udstillingerne i Jerome State Historic Park, som er et museum med masser af historie bag sig, på din tur til Jerome. Tag et kig på udvalget af udsøgte spisesteder og hyggelige kaffebarer på dette familievenlige sted.

Blazin' M Ranch

Tag familien med udenfor i Blazin' M Ranch under dit ophold i Cottonwood. Stedet er populært og vellidt på grund af sin flodbred samt sine mange aktiviteter, som du kan prøve kræfter med, som eksempelvis ridning.

Burning Tree Cellars

Du kan nyde lækkert mad, samt få guidede ture i Burning Tree Cellars på din rejse til Cottonwood. Oplev det, som stedet er populært for, såsom sin flodbred, eller nyd blot udvalget af vinsteder.

Arizona Stronghold Vineyards

Du kan nyde lækkert mad, samt få guidede ture i Arizona Stronghold Vineyards på din rejse til Cottonwood. Oplev det, som stedet er populært for, såsom sin flodbred, eller nyd blot udvalget af vinsteder.

Bedste hoteltilbud i Tuzigoot National Monument

Se tilgængelighed for hoteller tæt på Tuzigoot National Monument

Taawaki Inn - Cottonwood, an Ascend Collection Hotel

441 South Broadway Clarkdale AZ

Cliffside Castle - Hillside house with stunning views

Clarkdale AZ

Summer Seclusion near Sedona

Clarkdale AZ

Boho 1-bedroom Suite in Luxury Resort

Clarkdale AZ

Modern Desert Suite in Boutique Resort

Clarkdale AZ

Lux Verde Hotel

301 W. SR 89-A Cottonwood AZ

The Tavern Hotel

904 N Main St Cottonwood AZ

The Iron Horse Inn

1034 N Main St. Cottonwood AZ

Historic Schoolhouse Flat by Verde Canyon Railroad

Clarkdale AZ

Se alle 535 overnatningssteder i Tuzigoot National Monument

Den laveste pris pr. nat baseret på 2 voksne for 1 nat, som er fundet inden for de seneste 24 timer. Priser og tilgængelighed kan ændres uden varsel. Yderligere vilkår kan gælde.