20140807 Casa Malpais - Springerville, AZ

The Casa Malpais is a Pueblo People's site built around 1250 A.D. and was inhabited until about 1440 A.D. (1). The site was designated a National Historic Landmark Site on July 19, 1964. I had an opportunity to visit in 2014, on a very short trip to Arizona.

Casa Malpais covers sixteen acres of basaltic lava flows, laid down about 50,000 years ago. The deep fissures created by lava flows served as basement granaries and storage, and the people built stone-walled home above them. This ancient apartment complex consists of a large masonry pueblo, a Great Kiva, an enclosing wall, three masonry stairways, a prehistoric trail, numerous isolated rooms, sacred chambers, rock art panels, and an astronomical observatory (1). We are told that Casa Malpais means "House of the Badlands" in Spanish, but our Tourguide (TG) Greg says this really means "House of the Enemy". (We heard about three different ways that First People's current "tribal" names are just other translations of the word "enemy"!

It's not clear who the Casa Malpais people were, or which people's have their decendency. Both the Hopi and Zuni people claim relationship to these people. TG Greg believes that there is significant evidence to show that these people's may have migrated north from Mexico, not least of which being the square shape of their buildings (when so many other Southwestern First People's buildings were round).

A lovely collection of shards of pottery found on site.

We were led up the small mountain to view the site from above. Along the way our guide pointed out the use of natural landscape as trail markers, sundials, solar and star calendars, and ritual niches where offerings may have been left. Nearly every reasonably flat rock had a smooth worn pit where grinding occurred, even in the ceremonial calendar ring. The guide mentioned that this might have been a place to grind ceremonial herbs, rather than every day ones.

There were markers on rock walls denoting (possibly) clean water, and (possible) tribal markers. So much isn't known, though the drawings and symbols endure. It was a very interesting site, and our guide was charming and witty enough to make us feel like we were getting some "inside scoop" or "extra special" tour... "I really shouldn't be showing/telling you this part, but..." It was very good fun.

Local resident.

Back at the museum proper we watched an informative video on the site and people, and peered beyond glass windows at the artifacts encased there. (I seem to have lost many of my photos in a computer crash, but luckily that of my aunt, myself, and my sister remain. That was the important one anyway. Other photos can be borrowed/cited from the internet, as the site really doesn't change, but one of us? Irreplaceable! The trip would not have been nearly so nice without them both!)

Disclaimer: I have created this page for my own use, and have drawn on the work of others to fill in the historical information. My primary source is the wonderful tour guide, Greg, from the Springerville Chamber of Commerce in Arizona.  Other sources are listed below.

1. DeLange, George. http://www.delange.org/CasaMalpais1/CasaMalpais.htm