Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (May, 2021)

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument isn't far from where we live, and we have driven by it several times, wondering what it is.  Steve did some research and discovered that it is only partially open because of the pandemic, but because of that, it is currently free to visitors.  So we decided to check it out today.

Most native American ruins reside high in the cliffs of canyons, but these are right out on the plains of the Sonoran Desert.  They are not big, but they are different from those of the cliff dwellers.

These ruins reside pretty close the Gila River, and therefore allowed their inhabitants to build canals and have successful farms.  The farms started out with just corn, but eventually they learned to grow beans, squash, gourds and other crops.

The Casa Grande, or large house stands in the middle of the village with the mud wall houses all around it.

In the late 1800's, the Casa Grande was reinforced with wood and steel to keep it from collapsing.  At some point, a large shade structure was also built over the top.  I'm not sure if the shade is for the comfort of the visitors, or to help preserve the structure.

The horizontal lines in the mud show the layers that the monument was built in.  

Casa Grande Ruins is not something that I would go out of my way to see, but if you are in the area, it is worth a quick look.  I wasn't aware that there were prehistoric ruins on the plains of the desert, so this visit was a learning experience for both of us.