October 11, 2017, Globe, AZ-
The Southwest is as abundant with remembrances of the past, as anywhere on Earth, and perhaps more than many places. The various cultures and civilizations that came here, long before the Athapascans, the Comanches, the Utes, to say nothing of the Spanish and other Caucasians, will perhaps never be well understood. I see, however, that in many ways, these distant ancestors of the Hopi, Zuni, Havasupai, Hualapai, Yavapai and Rio Grande Puebloans are mirrors of ourselves. Visiting the Salado ruins at Besh Ba Gowah (Apache, for “Metal Camp”), I saw a carefully planned, apartment-based community, which relied on knowledge and cultivation of high desert plants, having drawn on the practices of the Huhugam and others who came here, well before the 11th and 12th Century heydays of the Salado people.
Here are a series of photos of the excavated and unexcavated ruins, the upper and lower gardens, of Besh Ba Gowah, lovingly restored and maintained by an appreciative City of Globe and its citizens. I am not commenting on all of the individual photos, hoping that you may draw a sense of the vastness of this complex.
Entry to Excavated Ruins:
The Excavated Ruins:
Unexcavated Ruins:
Arizona Gray Squirrel, a bit mottled by the dryness.
Upper Ethnbotanical Garden:
Lower Ethnobotanical Garden:
Look closely, and spot a smiley face:
Besh Ba Gowah, and Globe as a whole, are nicely placed between Flagstaff, Phoenix and Tucson, making this stunning area a natural place, in which to enjoy a Fall day or three.
NEXT: The Further Glories of the Gila Wilderness
I would love to visit there! Old ruins are so interesting. Might have to take time to stop in on our next trip out there. We should take you out for lunch again too. 🙂
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You will be glad you stopped in Globe, Miriam. A stop at SunFlour Market, in Superior, afterwards, would be a treat as well.
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The ruins look fascinating.
That one cactus needs some viagra. (Forgive me for my terrible sense of humor.)
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Ha! It’s a hoot, that two men (liking the photo on FB) overlooked that first photo’s “innuendo”.
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We stopped there on a family trip to Arizona many years ago. It looks like they have spruced it up a touch. I was impressed before but now I’m even more so!
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Glad you enjoyed it, Val!
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There’s really beauty in old ruins.
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Yes, I have found it so!
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