The first building that took place at the site of Tuzigoot, no doubt, was on the very summit of the ridge. The site would not have been selected at all if it had not been planned to take advantage of the most commanding area available, whether for purposes of protection or for sheer beauty of location. This deduction is borne out by the facts that the rooms at the lowest levels of the ridge offer no indications of long periods of occupation, while the remains on the top of the ridge give clear evidence of successive periods of building and long occupation.

What the outlines of the pueblo were at the very beginning of its history is forever lost, just as the outlines of the pueblo at each successive stage of its growth are lost. It is not possible to be certain that any of the rooms uncovered date from the original settlement of the site. In fact, the fragmentary evidence points to the fact that none of the rooms whose outlines are completely preserved date from the earliest occupation of the ridge. The walls of the room which of all seems to be the oldest were built on an accumulation of refuse which had resulted from human occupation of the site. Thus what the earliest form of habitation on the hill of Tuzigoot was remains unknown.

Although the beginnings of human habitation of the site of Tuzigoot are lost in obscurity, there is clear evidence in the architectural remains of three fairly distinct periods in the history of the pueblo. The first period of which we have knowledge begins prior to 1000 A.D. It is in all probability the period when the site was first settled, though perhaps the evidence that we have of this period does not reach quite back to the very beginnings of settlement.

In this first period, four rooms of which we have evidence, and perhaps three or four more about which we can only guess, were built on the top of the ridge. In addition, four rooms were built on the west slope. With one exception, these rooms were not large and three at least were quite small, with dimensions about 7 by 9 or 10 feet. Three of them on the top of the ridge did not utilize interior support posts. Two on the west slope made use of some sort of platform supported on posts at one end of the room, the details of which are not known. The rooms were all characterized by small circular fireplaces lined with clay. The roofs probably utilized a considerable amount of juniper bark in places in the construction which later made use of grass or reeds.

There was one large room in this early group on the west slope, built directly against a sandstone ledge, which was much larger than any of the others and perhaps served as a place for general gatherings, for councils or for ceremonials. There were no features of the room, however, except its large size which marked it off from the others.

Probably the first rooms were those on the top of the ridge which numbered not more than eight. After they had been lived in for some years, the large council room and the other smaller rooms on the west slope were built. These twelve rooms constituted the pueblo for a long time, during which elsewhere in the Verde region the small cliff dwelling was the most general form of habitation. But sometime between 1000 and 1200 the large council room and two of the other west slope rooms were abandoned and gradually filled in with rubbish and refuse accumulation. Either there was a general decrease in population or, for some unknown reason, the west slope and the north end of the ridge were abandoned in favor of the east slope.

Then about 1200 A.D. an increase in population demanded a new building program. A group of eight rooms was planned and built over the ruins of the small rooms that had extended along the west side of the top of the ridge. Undoubtedly some of the earlier rooms were torn down and the rocks of their walls were utilized in the construction of the new rooms. The west slope was almost completely abandoned and rooms were extended down the south end of the summit of the ridge and along the east slope. This new building program constituted the second period at Tuzigoot. It marks an acceleration in growth which took place only after the pueblo had existed as a probably insignificant unit for some time, having failed to grow after its inception.

The third period began perhaps toward the end of the thirteenth century. It was marked by the addition of whole clans and the building of groups of rooms as units down the south slope, on the east slope and perhaps below the north end of the ridge.

The rooms became progressively larger as more were added to the pueblo. The largest rooms occur in the group that was built on the southern shelf below the summit of the ridge. The rooms in the unit at the north end which enclosed the patio were also large. These new rooms were characterized by rectangular stone-lined fireplaces in general, but the old circular type was still in use. It became more and more common to bury the dead children beneath the floors of rooms. One of the most interesting of the definitely later features is the central floor depression, the purpose of which is not known. It occurs in one of the large rooms on the southern shelf and in all of the very late rooms which were built over the refuse on the east slope.

These rooms together with the old nucleus, dating from about 1200 A.D. were occupied until the final abandonment of the pueblo. In all they constitute 77 rooms, which may be taken as the maximum size of the pueblo and the size to which it had attained at the time of its abandonment. Over these 77 rooms there were at least fifteen second story rooms, making a total of about 92 rooms, perhaps five of which were not in use as living rooms. If there were 87 rooms in use as living rooms, we can state the maximum and final population of the pueblo at about 450 people.

The rooms became progressively larger as more were added to the pueblo. The largest rooms occur in the group that was built on the southern shelf below the summit of the ridge. The rooms in the unit at the north end which enclose the patio were also large. These new rooms were characterized by rectangular stone-lined fireplaces in general, but the old circular type was still in use. It became more and more common to bury the dead children beneath the floors of rooms. One of the most interesting of the definitely later features is the central floor depression, the purpose of which is not known. It occurs in one of the large rooms on the southern shelf and in all of the very late rooms which were built over the refuse on the east slope.

These rooms together with the old nucleus, dating from about 1200 A.D. were occupied until the final abandonment of the pueblo. In all they constitute 77 rooms, which may be taken as the maximum size of the pueblo and the size to which it had attained at the time of its abandonment. Over these 77 rooms there were at least fifteen second story rooms, making a total of about 92 rooms, perhaps five of which were not in use as living rooms. If there were 87 rooms in use as living rooms, we can state the maximum and final population of the pueblo at about 450 people.