Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

We stopped here on our way from Green Valley to our next destination, Sedona, Arizona. Casa Grande (Great House) was completed about 1350 by prehistoric people called Hohokam (even though they lived in the Southwest , they were never referred to as Indians). They came to the area about 200 BC and mysteriously disappeared about 1450. Casa Grande was the culmination of their building skills and was used for 100 years.
It was 'discovered' by souvenir hunters in the late 1880's, who threatened it by taking artifacts and pieces of the building. You can still see their graffiti. It was officially protected in 1897 as the first archeological reserve.

What it looked like in the late 1880's before the Park Service took over.

It has been covered since 1906.

This was 4 stories when completed. I don't know what was so special on the ground when this was taken.

A view on the inside.

Who is that hiding in the ruins ? This was once a 3 story building.

The remains of a ballcourt. See next photo.

Easier than me trying to explain.

Love those prickly pear cactus !

Close-up of one of the flowers.

Mesquite tree. I thought that with all the mesquite chips you can buy for grills, mesquite would be scarce.  But itis not; they are all over Southern Arizona.

The only saguaro we saw blooming.  Even the ones in Saguaro National Park had not yet bloomed.
A honey bee coming out of a prickly pear cactus flower after getting a sweet snack.

A round tailed ground squirrel.