Casa Grande Ruin National Monument

Lisbety Robaina

Professor Pat Leitch

ENC1102 - 852088

30 June 2015 Casa Grande Ruin National Monument

Casa Grande Ruin National Monument, which is situated in the flat plain of central Arizona in between the Gila and Santa Cruz rivers, close to Coolidge and about 15 miles from the town of Casa Grande. It was abandoned around 1450 CE. Casa Grande means “big house” and it was first documented by 17th century Spanish explorers who described the structure as a four story building, as large as a castle and equal to the largest church in these lands of Sonora. Casa Grande was rediscovered, along with the romantic Spanish accounts, by nineteenth-century Americans who marveled at the ruin 's size, sketched and measured it, and speculated about its

All of these constructions continue in use today and are now slanted on the National Register of Historic Places. As a effect, the general physical attendance of Casa Grande Ruins has rehabilitated very little since the 1940 's. The original structure at Casa Grande was one of the largest prehistoric organizations ever built in North America. It was once part of a collection of settlements scattered along the Gila River and linked by a web of canals once used for irrigation. The building was in the heart of a massive irrigation network and at the center of a large trade network that reached as far south as the Gulf of Mexico and the Sea of Cortez. They brought seashells from the Pacific Coast, copper bells from central Mexico and parrots from southern Mexico. There was no idea what the main purpose of the Casa Grande structure was as there were no written/carved records left by the Ancient Sonoran Desert People who built the place. It seems they were issues of the ancient archaic culture who subsisted the evolution from hunter-gatherer to a more settled farming subsistence. They learned to use irrigation techniques and developed a type of "red-on-buff" pottery distinctive to their place and

For many relatives, simply standing on the grounds evokes a feeling of faithfulness. “For reasons still unknown, sometime in the 15th century, the Sonoran Desert people abandoned the walled village compounds. Remaining examination, visitor center remodeling, repairs, programs, interpretive, and ruins are all segment of the remaining strength to postulate the greatest sightseer capability promising, and to satisfy the National Park Service 's undertaking to preserve, keep, and make accessible for present and the future inventions the many phenomena of Casa Grande Ruins National. Today, the Casa Grande serves as the main area for the public to visit at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument providing visitors with a direct connection to the people who once lived there. A stop at the visitor center, followed by a self-guided walk around the Casa Grande, will provide visitors with a memorable view of Hohokam technology and society” (National Park Service). Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is nearby in Coolidge. Coolidge is a bit further from the Interstate 10 but just get off the highway at any exit for Coolidge and then follow the signs. Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is open from 9 am to 5 pm daily except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Days. The entry fee for everyone age 16 and up is 5 dollars per person, good for