Archeological Sites in Arizona

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An informational guide to federal, state and other major archeological sites in Arizona.

Navajo National Monument preserves three of the most-intact cliff dwellings of the ancestral Puebloan people (Hisatsinom).  The Navajo people who live here today call these ancient ones Anasazi. The monument is high on the Shonto Plateau, overlooking the Tsegi Canyon system in the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona.

At the base of sheer red cliffs and in canyon wall caves are remains of American Indian villages built between A.D. 350 and 1300. Visitors have the opportunity to learn about Southwestern Indian history from the earliest basket makers to the Navajo Indians who live and farm here today. Travel into the canyon is weather variable and visitors must be accompanied by a park ranger or authorized Navajo guide.

A small, u-shaped pueblo built around A.D. 1200. Located on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Open daily 9:00 to 5:00 with extended hours in summer.

Ruins of red sandstone pueblos built by farming American Indians about 1065 are preserved here. The warm, arid climate and sparse vegetation today make the successes of these farmers remarkable. Here, you'll see stunning artistry in masonry pueblos that emerge from bedrock to stand several stories high.

Located in the Flagstaff area, Elden pueblo is an A.D.1150-1275 Sinagua ruin containing 60-70 pueblo rooms, mounds, small pueblos, pithouses and other features.

Pueblo Indians built these cliff dwellings in shallow caves under the canyon's limestone ledges about 800 years ago. There is something for everyone in this area: the Walnut Canyon cliff dwellings, the mountain scenery and geology of Sunset Crater Volcano, and the painted desert landscape and masonry pueblos of Wupatki National Monument.

Homolovi Ruins State Park serves as a center of research for the late migration period of the Hopi from the 1200ís to the late 1300ís. This park contains six pueblos and includes 4,500 acres that represent one of the last stopping places during the Hopi migrations.

Prehistoric Native Americans carved hundreds of human animal and geometric designs on boulders throughout the park.  Puerco Ruin is an Ancestral Pueblo village of the 11-1200ís featuring a "sun dagger" archaeoastronomical alignment. Open dawn to dusk, May to September, and 7:00 to 7:00 October to April.

Tuzigoot is an ancient pueblo built by the Sinagua. The pueblo consisted of 110 rooms including second and third story structures. The first buildings were built around A.D. 1000. The Sinagua were agriculturists with trade connections that spanned hundreds of miles. The people left the area around A.D. 1400.

Montezuma Castle stands as one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America and includes numerous Sinagua cliff dwellings and irrigation works. Montezuma Well is a limestone sinkhole lined with cliff dwellings. Open daily 8:00 to 5:00.

Rattlesnake Point Pueblo was a medium-sized village that was home to about 15 families between AD 1325 and 1390. It was one story tall and had between 80 and 90 rooms. When occupied, the architecture would have resembled that of historic pueblo villages. The pueblo sat on a long ridge overlooking the Little Colorado River. Tours are available through the Ranger Station on a seasonal basis. Open daily.

Situated on terraces of a fallen basalt cliff along the upper Little Colorado River, the site dates from late Pueblo III to early Pueblo IV (1250-1325 AD) times. Casa Malpais appears to incorporate features of both early and late Mogollon settlement patterns. Open daily 9:00 to 4:00 to schedule visits and tours. Call for details.

Kinishba is a large pueblo ruin containing nine masonry buildings constructed between 1250 and 1350 A.D. by the Mogollon.  The pueblo is situated on the upper end of a grass covered valley and originally had 400-500 ground floor rooms standing two or three stories high. At its peak, Kinishba may have housed up to 1000 occupants. The pueblo was vacated in the late 14thearly 15th centuries for unknown reasons.

These well-preserved cliff dwellings were occupied by the Salado culture in the 13th, 14th, and early 15th centuries. The people farmed in the Salt River Valley and supplemented their diet by hunting and gathering native wildlife and plants. The Salado produced some of the most exquisite polychrome pottery and woven textiles to be found in the Southwest. Many of these objects are on display in the Visitor Center museum.

Contains the ruins of prehistoric Hohokam irrigation canal networks. Also features the lives of early Mormon settlers who rediscovered these ancient canals in the Mesa area. Free admission. Open daily 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

1,500 year-old Hohokam village ruins, irrigation canals, and a prehistoric ballcourt in modern day Phoenix. Monday - Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. Sunday: 1:00 - 4:45 p.m. Closed on major holidays.

This City of Phoenix park includes some Hohokam petroglyphs. Scheduled, ranger-led or self-guided tours.

These Pueblo ruins, dated from A.D. 1225 to 1400, represent the Salado culture. The site includes a museum. Special programs are offered periodically on excavation and history of the site. Ruins and museum are open 9:00 to 5:00 daily. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, Memorial Day and New Yearís Day. Call the museum for more information.

Constructed and occupied by the Salado people between A.D. 1225-1400. The main complex is made up of more than 200 pueblo rooms. Excavated in the 1920-30ís, the pueblo was partially reconstructed and is now a branch of Eastern Arizona College. Open Monday through Friday, 8:00 to 5:00.

Painted Rocks Petroglyph Site provides visitors the opportunity to view an ancient archeological site containing hundreds of symbolic and artistic petroglyphs produced centuries ago.

These ruins consist of a four-story caliche structure surrounded by the ruins of an agricultural village dating around A.D. 900-1450.  Casa Grande Ruins, the nation's first archeological preserve, protects the Casa Grande and other archeological sites within its boundaries. Open daily 8:00 to 5:00. Closed Christmas.

The Tucson Mountain Unit of Saguaro National Park contains some Hohokam petroglyphs and ephemeral sites.

Established in 1862 to secure Apache Spring, Fort Bowie was an important point on the wagon route. The fort became a principal post in the bloody confrontations between the Anglo and Apache cultures. Open daily 8:00 to 5:00. Closed Christmas.

Tubac highlights the contributions of Native Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans, and Anglo-Americans in Arizona's development.  Historic structures, living history (Sunday), and an underground view of the old Spanish Fort are offered. Spanish soldiers and families settled in this Pima village in 1752. Anza days are celebrated the third weekend in October. Open daily 8:00 to 5:00.  Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Initially established as a Jesuit visita around A.D. 1691, the site later had a Franciscan mission constructed. The mission ruins remain well preserved. Fiesta is held the first Saturday and Sunday in December and features an outdoor Mass, entertainment, craft and native food sales. Open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, except Christmas and Thanksgiving when the Park is closed.