This is a gbintheworld's
EXTRA-page.
SHOOFLY INDIAN RUIN
near Payson
Location: just 5 miles north of Payson, off Highway 87
Distance: 85 miles from Phoenix
Opening hours: all year long from sunrise to sunset
Fees: no entrance fees
Direction: From Phoenix: get to Fountain Hills, from there you go north on Highway 87,
up to 5 miles north of Payson to Houston Mesa Road, make a right (= go east),
follow the road for about 4 miles to the sign, make a right to the parking lot
Shoofly Indian Ruin. This place is also called Shoofly Village Ruins where
visitors can explore the Rim country's prehistoric past. Walk trough the
history of Arizona on short loop trails.
The history. The village was occupied between A.D. 1000 and 1250.
The complex contained 79 rooms with many courtyards and plazas, all
surrounded by a massive stone wall. Today it is listed on the National Register
of Historic Places.
The people of Shoofly Village had close cultural ties with the Hohokam and Salado
people who lived in the deserts and mountains to the south. By the time the
village was established, they had developed their own distinctive culture.
Trade with neighboring peoples brought in obsidian, decorated pottery, and
jewelry and introduced the villagers to new ideas in architecture.
Houses at Shoofly Village were built using combinations of wood, adobe and
stone. Red sandstone was used in the central room block, while black basalt
was often used for the village wall and other rooms.
Building the masonry walls took a lot of work. Stones had to be gathered and
carried in. Clay had to be ducg out with wooden tools and carried back with
baskets. Water to mix the mortar had to be carried back from distant springs.
All of this work was done by hand.
All photos: © by gbintheworld.com
Sources: Signes at the archeological park
Links to websites with infos about the
Shoofly Village Ruins and Payson (links open in a new window):
Rim Country Chamber of Commerce official website
E
Payson official website of Payson
E
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