The Casa Malpais National Historic Landmark site was built and occupied by the Mogollon culture in northeastern Arizona from about C.E. 1250 to 1400.  A study of the cultural astronomy of the site was conducted from 2008 to 2011.  The previously observed “solstice observatory” feature was found to have been used for solar sunset observations.  In addition several rock art features were found to be astronomical seasonal markers.

Arizona Archaeologist No. 38: A Cultural Astronomy Study of the Casa Malpais National Historic Landmark Site

Politics & Social Sciences

Zoll, Kenneth J.

Archaeology

Arizona Archaeological Society

The V Bar V Heritage Site is located about 12 miles southeast of Sedona, Arizona, within the Red Rock District of the Coconino National Forest. The site was originally discovered soon after Euro-Americans settled the Beaver Creek area in the 1860’s. Although known to archaeologists since the early 1900’s, its significance was not realized until the Forest Service acquired the V Bar V Ranch and several parcels of land along Beaver Creek as part of a land exchange with the University of Arizona in 1994. A sandstone bluff, heavily coated in desert varnish, contains over 1,030 petroglyphs. One of the primary west-facing panels, with more than 125 petroglyphs, includes eleven elements that are ascribed to have astronomical associations. Beginning in March 2005, a year-long survey was begun to document light and shadow effects on this petroglyph panel, referred to as the Solar Panel. This study suggested that great care was taken to mark the passage of time and the arrival of specific points in time, and supports the primary hypothesis that a cycle of annual, calendrical-based rituals and practices were associated with the Southern Sinagua culture that occupied this site from as early as A.D. 950 to A.D. 1450. This study documented the recording of time over a 12-month period through the play of light and shadow on petroglyph images and by the use of natural or man-made features on the bluff. It has been shown that the light and shadow patterns display their unique configurations at specific times. With years of observations, the Sinagua and other prehistoric sun watchers, would have noted the repetition of certain events at regularly spaced intervals, most easily seen during the solstice and equinox events.

Sinagua Sunwatchers: An Archaeoastronomy Survey of the V Bar V Heritage Site and the Sacred Mountain Basin

History

Americas

WAC Press

More than 50 years ago, Dr. Charles Rozaire, an archaeologist from California, began a multi-season excavation project at a small Southern Sinagua cliff dwelling located on artist Paul Dyck's property north of Camp Verde, Arizona. Although a large quantity of incredibly well-preserved materials was recovered, these materials were not analyzed and remained in storage until 2014, when they were donated to the Verde Valley Archaeology Center. After more than five years of analysis, this two-part book is a detailed report on the excavations and the materials recovered. This report has 709 pages of text organized into 14 chapters, with 421 figures and 101 tables. Chapter 1 provides a history of the excavations, profiles of several of the individuals involved, and an outline of Southern Sinagua culture history.Chapter 2 is an edited summary of the original field notes and includes numerous field sketches and photographs taken during the excavations.Chapter 3 is a detailed description of the architecture of the site based on the field notes and on recent visits. Chapter 4 discusses the results of the analysis of the 9,095 sherds and 6 whole or reconstructed vessels recovered.Chapter 5 is a description of the large quantity of well-preserved plant remains.Chapter 6 provides a detailed analysis of the 1,009 faunal remains, including rabbits, deer, beaver, weasel, muskrat, raccoon, various rodents, duck, quail, teal, and other birds.Chapter 7 is a description of the 157 groundstone tools from the site. Chapter 8 reports on a detailed analysis of the 1,709 flaked stone artifacts, including 23 projectile points. Chapter 9 is on ornaments, minerals, and special rocks. Chapter 10 is a lengthy chapter on the amazing textiles, with more than 1,000 pieces of cotton fabrics in a variety of colors recovered from the site.Chapter 11 describes matting, baskets, and sandals found. Chapter 12 discusses a variety of wood, reed, hard-shell squash and gourd artifacts.Chapter 13 presents the analysis of unusual artifacts that may have served special purposes. Chapter 14 provides a summary of many of the artifacts and food remains.

A Geological and Archaeological Study of the Solar Gnomons at the V Bar V Heritage Site: Verde Valley Archaeology Center Occasional Paper No. 1

Bostwick PhD, Todd W.

Lindberg, Paul A.

Heart of the Sky: Ancient Skywatchers of Central Arizona

The Verde Valley hosts a unique and varied representation of prehistoric cultural sites. It is the host to two National Park Service National Monuments, three U.S. Forest Service Heritage Sites, five protected sites owned by the Archaeological Conservancy, the Yavapai-Apache Nation, and over 2,500 archaeological sites. There are over 450 recorded rock art sites in the Sedona/Verde Valley area. Many visitors express great interest in the rock art at the cultural heritage sites. The docents receive many questions about these images. Who made them? How have they lasted this long? What do they mean? This book is not a scientific monograph on rock art. It does not contain elaborate bibliographic sources, although some are quoted and referenced. This book is intended to be a useful and thought-provoking introduction to the vast, scattered and sometimes unpublished literature on rock art, with specific focus on images and styles found in the Sedona/Verde Valley area. It is hoped that it will promote reflection on and appreciation of the people who created the rock art. The mission of the Verde Valley Archaeology Center is to preserve archaeological sites and collections and to promote their educational, scientific and cultural use. We advocate for the preservation of the Verde Valley’s irreplaceable cultural resources that include significant structures, sites and artifacts. Through education and information, we provide leadership to the regional community on the critical issues of understanding and preserving our rich cultural heritage. The Center is dedicated to enhancing the knowledge of the prehistory and ethnology of inhabitants of the Verde Valley region. We promote a greater understanding of the diversity of cultures, past and present, for our guests and the citizens of the Verde Valley.

Understanding the Rock Art of Sedona

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

VVAC Press

The Dyck Cliff Dwelling is a relatively obscure habitation site along Beaver Creek, between Montezuma Castle National Monument and its sub-unit, Montezuma Well. The occupancy of the Dyck Cliff Dwelling is contemporaneous with the early occupation of Montezuma Castle. Inhabitants of these sites likely interacted with each other. The untold story of the people who lived in the cliff dwelling is revealed within its walls.Fortunately, the site was protected by its owner, Paul Dyck, for a quarter century until it was excavated professionally from 1962 to 1972. Even though excavations were completed in 1972, a detailed report was never written until the Verde Valley Archaeology Center received the collection from the Paul Dyck Foundation Research Institution of American Indian Culture in 2015. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Todd Bostwick, then the Director of Archaeology of the Verde Valley Archaeology Center, undertook this massive task. The result was a 701-page report, published in 2020, that contains 420 figures and 100 tables of data. While this extensive report was designed for our professional colleagues, this book is a condensed version for the general reader. Our desire is to share the excitement of the past through the discoveries provided by this look into the lives of a typical Sinagua family.

Ancient Verde Valley Family Life: The Sinagua at the Dyck Cliff Dwelling

Bostwick, Todd W.

This is the history of the inhabitants of the area that was eventually settled as the V-V Ranch in Rimrock Arizona. The book describes the earliest inhabitants from the Paleoindians dating to 12,000 BCE, to the Hisatsinom (Southern Sinagua Culture) who migrated from the area about 1400CE, and the present Yavapai-Apache Nation. The Anglo settlers are traced from 1895 to the acquisition of the property by the U.S. Forest Service from the University of Arizona in 1995. The property holds the largest petroglyph site in the Verde Valley area, mostly attributed to the ancestral Hopi known as the Hisatsinom. The site was renamed in 2023 to the Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site.

The Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site and V-V Historic Ranch

Pilles Jr., Peter J

H. H. Nininger Master of Meteorites

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