tuzigoot hilltop pueblo

Route 260 North takes you from Camp Verde towards Verde Village and Cottonwood. North of both towns the Verde River carves a valley along roadways until giving way to a Pueblo on a hill, in contrast to the cliffside dwellings nearby.

Construction started around the year 1000, expanding into 4 different sections and eras of building over the next 400 years.

During the excavation of Tuzigoot pueblo, trade items and materials from hundreds of miles away were found. Distinctive regional pottery from many different communities across the southwest was found here, as were seashells, exotic minerals and paints, obsidian from distant volcanoes, and feathers from macaws, which are found from southern Mexico into the Amazon basin of South America.

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints….

Heading into the topmost chamber of the settlement, which is rebuilt with walls and a ceiling, is a reprieve from the hot sun of mid-day. Standing on the roof is a pleasant view of the valley and nearby Cottonwood in the distance.