Casa Malpaís is an
archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...
of the
Ancestral Puebloans
The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, were an ancient Native American culture that spanned the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, a ...
located near the town of
Springerville, Arizona
Springerville is a town in Apache County, Arizona, United States, within the White Mountains. Its postal ZIP Code is 85938. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 1,961.
Springerville sits at an elevation of above sea level. ...
. The site is a nationally recognized archaeological site and was declared a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1964.
Description
Casa Malpaís was built around 1260 and was inhabited until about 1400, meaning that the site dates from the
Pueblo III to the
Pueblo IV Era
The Pueblo IV Period (AD 1350 to AD 1600) was the fourth period of ancient pueblo life in the American Southwest. At the end of prior Pueblo III Period, Ancestral Puebloans living in the Colorado and Utah regions abandoned their settlements a ...
.
It is one of the latest dated
Mogollon sites. The name is Casa Malpaís is Spanish for "House of the Badlands". The
Springerville volcanic field contains over 400
volcanoes
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...
within a fifty-mile radius of Springerville, making it the third-largest volcanic field in the continental
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
Unique and unusual features characterize the site. The Great
Kiva
A kiva is a space used by Puebloans for rites and political meetings, many of them associated with the kachina belief system. Among the modern Hopi and most other Pueblo peoples, "kiva" means a large room that is circular and underground, ...
, painstakingly constructed of volcanic rock, is the centerpiece. A steep
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
staircase set into a crevice of the high basalt cliff wall leads to the top of the mesa.
Both the
Hopi
The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the Unite ...
and
Zuni peoples still consider Casa Malpaís a sacred ancestral place.
The site is at an elevation of 7,000 feet and the pueblo is perched atop terraces in front of basalt cliffs. These cliffs were formed from lava flow from an ancient volcano.
Around 1240, a 60-room pueblo, solar calendar, and Great Kiva were built by the people. The site was believed to be abandoned by 1350.
Artifacts were excavated and collected over time. The Casa Malpaís collection includes 156 boxes of potsherds and other artifacts from the ruins. Special butterfly collection. Most of the artifacts found in the 1990s are displayed in the Casa Malpaís museum.
Solar Calendar
This feature consists of a low stone wall enclosing a space 26 meters in diameter, with 5 gates. Part of the structure has been restacked, indicating an approximate possible height of 1.2 meters. "An opening on the structure's northern side appears to be oriented to true north" (Zoll 2012) Another, on the southwest side of the structure, is offset to allow a distinctive rectangular shaft of light to enter in a direct line with the wall during sunset at summer solstice (Zoll 2012, p. 15). At winter solstice, the shaft of light once again enters through the gate and extends to about the middle of the enclosure (Zoll 2012, p. 14). During the equinoxes, the sun enters again through the gate and "produces a distinctive rectangular shaft of light" (Zoll 2012, p. 15).
Outside this circular feature, is a Bear Claw petroglyph, which at vernal equinox sunset, fits into a shaft of light produced by a natural rock grouping. " Both the Hopi and Zuni have bear clans or bear societies who may have created this image for reasons unknown" (Zoll 2012 p. 18).
Discovery
The first visit to Casa Malpaís by a professional
anthropologist
An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...
was in 1883, when
Frank Cushing, an anthropologist living at
Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico
Zuni Pueblo (also Zuñi Pueblo, Zuni: ''Halona Idiwan’a'' meaning ‘Middle Place’) is a census-designated place (CDP) in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 6,302 as of the 2010 Census. It is inhabited largely b ...
, visited a site at "El Valle Redondo on the
Colorado Chiquito", and was impressed by what he termed "the fissure type
pueblo
In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...
" he found there. In his journal he sketched dry masonry bridging fissures, upon which the pueblo is constructed.
Casa Malpais Visitor Center and Museum
The Casa Malpais Visitor Center and Museum, operated by the City of Springerville, is located on Main Street in Springerville, Arizona. The museum displays artifacts found at Casa Malpais and offers guided tours of the site that originate at the museum.
See also
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References
External links
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Casa Malpais
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casa Malpais
Archaeological museums in Arizona
Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona
Buildings and structures in Apache County, Arizona
Former Native American populated places in the United States
Former populated places in Apache County, Arizona
Museums in Apache County, Arizona
Native American history of Arizona
Native American museums in Arizona
National Historic Landmarks in Arizona
Oasisamerica cultures
Ancient Puebloan archaeological sites in Arizona
Religious places of the Indigenous peoples of North America
Ruins on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places in Apache County, Arizona
Populated places on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona