An Evolving Village

From a few rooms on the hilltop to a 110-room pueblo, this dwelling transformed over centuries as increasing numbers of people came together to form a community. The pueblo visible today was not built all at once or according to a plan, but developed gradually as population growth changed the size, layout, and functions of its rooms. During the final years of construction in the late 1300s, people built a unit of rooms separate from the main pueblo, creating an open plaza area that would have become important for social, economic, political, and ceremonial activities as the village grew larger. Unlike pueblos to the north on the Colorado Plateau, few rooms at Tuzigoot were used solely for storage. Almost every room floor had a fire hearth, indicating living space, and the larger rooms may have served both living and storage needs. Tuzigoot is part of what archeologists have called the Southern Sinagua culture area, named after the Spanish phrase la sierra sin agua for the San Francisco Peaks to the north. Undecorated pottery, fine textiles, and elaborate jewelry are among the characteristics of Sinagua culture. Archeologists have used artifacts, tree ring dating, walls built on top of one another, and the locations of trash deposits to determine the approximate sequence in which Tuzigoot's rooms were built.

Arizona · United States