Grade 8

E.D’Alessandro

Casa Grande Ruins

Means “Big House” One of the largest prehistoric

structures in North American Located in central Arizona

between the Gila and Santa Cruz rivers in a flat plain

Ruins consist of a compound wall surrounding structures

Village appeared around 900 A.D. and abandoned around 1450 A.D.

Inhabited by the Hohokam

Casa Grande

Purpose is unknown but suspected to have been a dwelling, storehouse, or astronomical observatory

Structures are made of Caliche A mix of sand, clay, and limestone Ruins took 3,000 tons of Caliche Walls four feet thick at base and taper up Timber helps support the walls, ceilings, and

floors Largest structure is four stories with eleven

rooms Had wide scale and extensive public irrigation

canals Walls face the four cardinal points on a compass Circular hole in the west wall aligns with the

setting sun of a summer solstice More holes coordinate with the sun and moon

during specific times These help in knowing the planting, harvest,

and celebration times

Casa Grande Structures

Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino first to write about the ruins in 1694 Called it Big House

Also visited by Lt. Col. Juan Bautista de Anza and Brig. Gen. Stephen Watts

In the 1880’s a railroad was built near the ruins Brought a lot of visitors

Began to get damaged by souvenir hunters, graffiti, and vandalism

In 1892 became the first prehistoric and culture reserve in the United States

In 1918 became a national monument

Ruins are protected by roofs of iron and redwood timber placed over them

History of Discovery

Prehistoric people who migrated to Arizona from Mexico living from around 1-1450 A.D.

Were farmers Grew corn, beans, squash, agave, and cotton

Hunted deer, rabbit, and quail Harvested shellfish and fish from their canals Had no writing system Believed to have community leaders Made pottery, jewelry, stone tools, wove cotton textiles, and made

petroglyphs on rocks Known for shell jewelry Shells sometimes came from far away places like the Pacific Ocean and

the Gulf of California

The Inhabitants: Hohokams

• It is not known what happened to the Hohokam

• Some theories:• Migrated back to Mexico after a

long drought• Evolved culturally into other

tribes

• Consisted of different ethnic groups that lived under the same culture, economic, and political system and when the system broke apart the different groups went their separate ways

• After the disappearance of the Hohokam Casa Grande was never inhabited again

From Living Into Ruins