Tuzigoot National Monument

Author's Comments

The ruin sits on a low limestone ridge that you do not fully appreciate until you have walked the loop and stood on the reconstructed rooftop at the top of the pueblo. From there the Verde Valley opens in every direction. Mingus Mountains to the west, the red rocks of Sedona pushing up to the northeast, the river itself a green seam through dry country below. The Sinagua chose this ground for reasons that become obvious the moment you arrive. I come in late October or early November, an hour before sunset, when the low sun rakes across the stone walls and the masonry goes the color of warm bread. The light here is not subtle. It is direct and golden and it lasts maybe forty minutes before the valley falls into shadow. The walls themselves are the detail shot - irregular limestone blocks set in mud, the texture deeper than it looks at midday. The wide shot is from the rooftop room, and it wants the longest light you can find. If a few clouds are moving over the Mingus range, wait for them. The shadows crossing the valley floor add a dimension that flat light will not give you. The crowds are thin even in good season. This is not Sedona. Most visitors spend twenty minutes here and move on, which means the rooftop is often empty at the hour that matters most. Bring something wide for the valley and something longer for the walls and the river bend below. Stay until the light is gone. The drive out in blue dusk is part of the visit.

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