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Tuzigoot N.M.

Tuzigoot is a good example of how slight misunderstandings can change history. The indigenous people who built and abandoned the site did not leave behind a record of what they called it. When it was excavated in the 1930s (according to the Visitor Center exhibit at the site) one of the archeologists was a summer intern who was Apache. He suggested the name Tuzigoot from the Apache word for Crooked River, an apt description of the river below the pueblo ruins. Now to the misunderstanding: In a book on Southwest American national monuments, the author, apparently a novice in the field, converts this to the "Apaches called it Tuzigoot".

The Hohokam ruins are small but accompanied by a very nice museum. The real reason to come here, however, is for the site. Located in the heart of a long, broad valley ringed with hills, you can see for miles in all directions and appreciate how strategic the location was. The surrounding farmlands were fertile and the village up on its knoll commanded a clear view of the approach of any enemy. From the Visitor's Center, you can see the mining town of Jerome on a far away hillside.

Tuzigoot N.M.

Tuzigoot N.M. Restored Foundations

Tuzigoot N.M. Fields

Tuzigoot N.M. Vistor Center

Tuzigoot N.M. Vistor Center

Tuzigoot N.M. Vistor Center