Tonto National Monument, Lower Ruin - Roosevelt, AZ
N 33° 38.664 W 111° 06.976
12S E 489218 N 3722734
The lower cliff dwellings are the remains of a native American cultural site dating back to the period between 1300 CE and 1450 CE.
Waymark Code: WMZ79P
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 09/22/2018
Views: 1
The Tonto Basin, overlooked by the dwellings, was watered by the Salt River. It was a fertile area inhabited by groups of native Americans from the mountains to the north and from what is now the Phoenix area to the south. As this mix of cultures developed, farming communities dotted the basin floor, each separated by a few miles with farm fields in between. As the population began to rise the availability of flat land diminished and the later populations looked to the canyons for homes. This particular dwelling is on the east facing side of a canyon wall which provided more shelter from the sun and a good view of the canyon and their small farm fields on the canyon floor. For unknown reasons all the prehistoric populations of the southwest left around 1450 CE and abandoned their dwellings. The area remained unpopulated until the arrival of the current tribes, then the Spanish and Anglo groups. The lower ruin received some damage when the Anglo prospectors and ranchers arrived but enough remains to give an idea of the tough conditions those early peoples conquered and survived. Additional information is available through the monuments website: (visit link)
Reason for Abandonment: Natural Disaster
Date Abandoned: 01/01/1450
Related Web Page: [Web Link]
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