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Squaw Creek Pueblo is one of the largest and most interesting ruins on the Agua Fria National Monument. Also known by the more politically correct name of Los Mujeres ("the Woman" in Spanish), it consists of a main pueblo and several satellite sites that total between 150 and 200 rooms. Due to its remoteness, it is also in better condition that may of the other pueblos.
This pueblo has the distinction of being one of the few sites in the Monument with a defensive perimeter wall. The others are Baby Canyon Pueblo, Fort Silver (near Pueblo La Plata), and Horseshoe Butte. The wall (see the aerial photos above) surrounds approximately two-thirds of the site, with the remaining third being protected by the cliff at the edge of the mesa.
Squaw Creek is also one of the few pueblos in the Monument that has a "racetrack" feature (click on the right-hand photo above). Archeologists speculate that these tracks, which look like runways for small aircraft, were used for some kind of sporting event. This one is approximately 400 feet long and 70 feet wide, and is oriented almost exactly north-south. A second racetrack (not visible) runs parallel to the defensive wall under the modern access road. These racetracks are very difficult to see from the ground, and were only recognized when archeologists began to study aerial photographs of the Monument.
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| Photo 1
View of interior of the ruin. (Apr 2011)
| Photo 2
Some of the walls still stand (Apr 2011)
| Photo 3
A section of the perimeter wall. (Apr 2011)
| Photo 4
A cliff face protects one side of the pueblo. (Apr 2011)
| Photo 5
Broken pottery covers the ground throughout the site. (Apr 2011)
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The site itself is of the "massed room block" construction typical of pueblos on the Monument. The interior walls are mostly collapsed, and there is no sign of the wooden timbers that would have once supported roofs. The remains of a section of the defensive perimeter wall is shown in Photo 3. The wall is 800 feet long and, based on the amount of stones, once stood about six feet high. A 30-foot cliff protects the east and south sides of the pueblo. Photo 4 shows one of the few accessible routes up the cliff. Note the remains of the walls at the top of the photo.
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| Photo 6
Cleared ground around the pueblo was used for crops (Apr 2011)
| Photo 7
Both agave and prickly pear are edible (Apr 2011)
| Photo 8
An agave plant, possibly descended from original crops (Apr 2011)
| Photo 9
Prickly Pear in spring bloom (Apr 2011)
| Photo 10
A shatered matate, once used to prepare food (Apr 2011)
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Photo 6 shows the landscape around the pueblo. This is not a natural landscape. The land has been cleared and probably terraced to support the growing of corn, cotton, agave, and other food crops. Photo 7 shows two species of agave still growing nearby, which are probably descendants of those cultivated by the puebloans. There are many species of agave in Arizona, and although most are edible, some were more prized than others. Many species do not propagate themselves without human assistance. The mapping of various agave species at ruins throughout the state is an ongoing topic of research.
Prickly Pear (photo 9) is also edible. The pads, once cleaned of spines, can be roasted and eaten. Also, the yellow blossoms visible in this early spring photo will turn into small red fruit that can be eaten raw, squeezed into a tasty drink, or made into jelly.
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| Photo 11
Abstract petroglyph located below the ruin (Apr 2011)
| Photo 12
Petroglyph panel showing animals and people (Apr 2011)
| Photo 13
More petroglyphs (Apr 2011)
| Photo 14
A rare pigmented petroglyph (Apr 2011)
| Photo 15
There are two pigmented petroglyphs at the site (Apr 2011)
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The cliffs below the ruin are covered with petroglyphs. Two of them stand out, having been colored in with bright red pigment (photos 14 and 15). As it happens, the Deer Valley Rock Art Center in Phoenix has a major exhibit about the Agua Fria National Monument that includes photos of these exact two petroglyphs. According to them, "...some prehistoric glyphs have been altered by the addition of bright red pigment. This may have been done as part of a ritual renewal process by historic and modern Native Americans." It would have been nice had they presented the evidence that led to that conclusion, but alas...
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Video of Aerial Flyby:An aerial video reveals the rugged topography surrounding the site. The "racetrack" is visible near the end of the clip, at the top of the scene. (5.4MByte). |