Casa Malpaís

Description

Casa Malpaís dates from the Pueblo III to Pueblo IV Era and is one of the latest Mogollon sites. The name is Spanish for "House of the Badlands." The pueblo sits on terraces in front of basalt cliffs formed by lava from an ancient volcano, within the Springerville volcanic field—the third-largest in the continental United States.

A Great Kiva built of volcanic rock is the centerpiece, and a steep basalt staircase set into a crevice of the cliff leads to the mesa top. The site was believed abandoned by 1350. Artifacts collected include 156 boxes of potsherds and other items, plus a special butterfly collection; most 1990s finds are displayed in the Casa Malpaís museum.

Solar Calendar

A low stone wall encloses a space 26 meters in diameter with five gates; part has been restacked to an approximate height of 1.2 meters. An opening on the northern side appears oriented to true north.

A southwest gate is offset so that at summer solstice sunset a rectangular shaft of light enters in line with the wall. At winter solstice the shaft reaches about the middle of the enclosure, and at equinoxes it again produces a distinctive rectangular shaft. Outside the circle, a Bear Claw petroglyph aligns with a shaft of light from a natural rock grouping at vernal equinox sunset; both Hopi and Zuni have bear clans or societies that may have created the image.

Did You Know?

• The first professional anthropologist to visit Casa Malpaís was Frank Cushing in 1883.
• Cushing described the site as a "fissure type pueblo" and sketched dry masonry bridging fissures.
• The Casa Malpais Visitor Center and Museum is operated by the City of Springerville.