On a sweltering day in April, when the sun was burning in the sky with not a single cloud for cover, Peter Pilles, archaeologist for the Coconino National Forest, led a personalized van tour of the “Sinagua Circle.” Sinagua Circle is an informal name given to a circular area bordered by three Verde Valley waterways—Verde River to the southwest, Clear Creek to the east and Beaver Creek to the north and west. This loop, brimming with archeological artifacts, is believed to have been important to the Sinagua Indians who lived in the Verde Valley from around 800 to 1425 A.D
The hot day helped underscore Pilles’ main point: the Sinagua Indians planned their life around the area’s waterways, because in the desert, life would be impossible without a reliable water source.
According to Pilles, the Southern Sinagua Indians relied especially heavily on Beaver Creek, which provided the nucleus for a thriving agricultural society. They produced a surplus of food—enough to not only feed themselves but also to develop arts, crafts and architecture through profitable trading with the Northern Sinagua Indians in the Flagstaff area and other tribes.
Pilles’ annotated tour included stops to examine Native American artifacts, ruins, petroglyphs, dwellings (built with astonishing regularity—1.8 miles apart) and agricultural sites with dry farming and irrigation. Many of these same sites were later important to Verde Valley pioneers, who also developed similar trade routes and settled in forts around the rivers.
The tour was a pilot for what Pilles believes can be a fascinating driving tour of the Verde Valley for visitors interested in history, archeology, ancient agricultural techniques and Native American art and culture.
Pilles envisions the tour could encompass more than a dozen sites including:
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Verde River/Beaver Creek confluence,
a prehistoric water highway interchange.
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Montezuma Castle,
a well-preserved 17-room dwelling on a limestone cliff overlooking Beaver Creek, built by the Sinagua Indians in the 1200s and occupied for 200 years. It is situated on the grounds of Montezuma Castle National Monument, which includes a visitor center with information and exhibits.
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Montezuma Well,
a 368-foot well formed by the surface collapse of limestone bedrock. The well and the creek were used to irrigate Sinagua agricultural fields.
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Canals from Montezuma Well,
used for irrigation, found off the Well Trail. The remains of the canals are easily visible around the nearby picnic area, which is South of the well. Some canals are restored for use today.
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Lawrence Crossing Ancient Agriculture,
on Forest Road 618G (road requires vehicle with high clearance), has the remains of a grid or waffle pattern of water catchments using tiny rock wall compartments fed by irrigation canals. The fields are visible close to the road as are the rocks that stick out four to six inches on the north side. In some places it is possible to see most or all of the compartments, which measure 10 feet square.
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Red Tank Petroglyphs,
a large shaded boulder that has ancient petroglyphs. The boulder is off the beaten path, just to the right of Forest Service Road 618, down a steep old travel route.
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V Bar V Ranch,
the largest display of petroglyphs in the Verde Valley has more than 1,000 different symbols. It is just past Beaver Creek Bridge. This site requires a red rock pass. Visitors can meander along the walls at their own speed and enjoy the natural setting. Volunteers are on site.
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Sacred Mountain,
not far from V Bar V Ranch in Rimrock, has the fallen remains of a 50-room pueblo and a ball court at its base, the last of the identified courts to be constructed in the Verde Valley. Sacred Mountain also has significant agricultural remains, including several cultivated agaves.
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Other stops on the trip could include
* Bell Trail petroglyphs,
* Casner Canyon ruins,
* Clear Creek ruins,
* Sugarloaf Mountain
* and the old Chaves Trail.
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