 Casa Malpais Ruins |
 The walls of Kiva at Casa Malpais once stood at nine feet in height. Today the maticulously dry-masoned walls still measure eight feet. | |
 Our guide, Lauren Zurlinden, talks about the difficult lifestyles of the Mogollon Tribes as we listen inside the large Kiva. | |
 The oval-shaped structure just above the floodplane, has strategically place doorways that correlate with the seasonal equinoxes. | |
 This pueblo has a sealed doorway leading into another dwelling. We are told it may be a storage area. | |
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 This ladder, resting against a pueblo, is reminiscent of the types of ladders the Mogollon tribes used to enter their dwellings. |
Surrounded by majestic mountains (including Greens Peak, Escudilla and Mount Baldy), Casa Malpais is situated well off the beaten path in the Round Valley region, two miles north of Springervile. The dry-masonry stone structures are built around natural rock fissures and the ruins span approximately 17 acres. There are 16-100 rooms (each with a ventilating system), not including the upper stories, with approximately 100-150 passageways underground, which probably housed 300 to 600 people.
The centerpiece of these ancient ruins is the large Kiva. Walls constructed of volcanic rock tower to eight feet in height. One doorway leads inside and is thought to have been the entrance for the holy men (Shamen). At one time, a roof made of wood covered this meticulously masoned structure but did not withstand the ravages of the centuries. It is thought that the pueblo people would descend on a ladder through this roof to sit along the Anasazi-style bench which was built along the inside perimeter of the Kiva.
Pottery shards wait for viewing along some of walls of the pueblos as we (Mrs. Walker's fourth grade from Blue Ridge Middle School and I), ascend the trail toward the beginning of the natural spiral staircase. The steep stairway, made of basalt, leads up through a fissure to the top of the cliff providing a breathtaking view of the entire village and the surrounding mountains.
As we take in the vastness of this ancient village and understand why these people chose such a beautiful location, my attention is drawn to an oval structure situated just above the flood plain. There are several entrances and I am told they correlate to the sunrises and sunsets of the seasonal equinoxes. From this structure, a petroglyph of a bear paw can be seen and it stirs questions in my mind as to the use of such a strategic structure.
We are guided by Lauren Zurlinden of Springerville, who is very knowledgeable about the history of Casa Malpais as well as the surrounding area. "This used to be a self-guided tour, but because of disappearing objects, we provide scheduled guided tours." says Zurlinden. These guided tours originate from the Casa Malpais Museum located on SR 60 in Springerville and are scheduled to leave at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 2:30 p.m. daily. For more information, call (928) 333-5375.
