Saturday, April 24, 2021
CASA GRANDE NATIONAL MONUMENT
We’ve visited several historic pueblo sites now, and every of them has been impressive for how the architecture of stone and mud has held up over the centuries, but this one is the first we’ve visited made entirely of adobe, with no stone cores in the walls. I couldn’t stop staring. This incredible structure is three stories tall. The only wood in the whole structure is in the ceilings/floors between levels. A three story building made of hardened mud. Still standing after 700 years. By comparison, how’s the last mud pie you baked holding up?
You can see, by the height of the graffiti on the walls how far buried the building was prior to preservation and stabilization efforts. It’s easy enough to tell which patches of mud have been added in current history (er, easy, I guess, if you have a little practice), but also impressive to see how the recent repairs used old techniques to maintain an authentic appearance.
The rubbings on the previous page are from little metal blocks scattered around the park, meant for junior rangers to fill out their activity books. I love that idea, though maybe a mechanical pencil was not the ideal tool for the job.
Thither & Yon 