Description

Fitzmaurice Ruins, Prescott Valley, Arizona

The Fitzmaurice Ruin is far more than a few scattered rock formations. The 27 room main pueblo and its several satellite structures encompass the largest Indian ruin in the Prescott region.

Between 1050 and 1300 AD, a mesa pueblo existed on the south side of Lynx Creek on the southwest corner of present-day Prescott Valley. In 1864 when gold seekers were searching Lynx Creek, the ruins were discovered by white men. The ruin is on property originally owned by G. S. Fitzmaurice, hence its name. The ruins were first excavated in 1933 by Edward Spicer and Louis Caywood. Another excavation was worked on in 1968 by Franklin and Joan Barnett. A third excavation was worked in 1975 by a Yavapai College class. The ruins’ main structure is 200 ft. x 48 ft. The pueblo contains about 32 rooms with 21 outlying rooms. The ceramics found in all three excavations total 57,902 pieces. The 1975 class found the partial skeletal remains of a 14-year-old female, uncovered 18 whole or restoreable jars and bowls, a hammer stone and awl fragments, shell pieces and various stone tools. The Fain Land and Cattle Co bought the property in 1955 and deeded the area as a town park in 2002.

Granite outcrops are numerous near the ruin, and it was from these that most of the building material was obtained. One unique aspect of the Fitzmaurice Ruin walls was the use of large stone slabs as a foundational base. A mixture of several kinds of masonry construction were utilized by the Native Americans. Some walls were constructed of solid rocks varying in size which were haphazardly fitted together in a sort of overlapping wedge principle. Where there were larger openings between rocks, spalls were inserted as a combination wedge and filler. A mud of local earth or clay was then applied as a mortar and veneer finish. The various wall construction differences encountered, clearly show that there were three, and probably more, different periods of construction of the 27-room pueblo. It seems that as time went on there was a distinct lowering of the standards of construction when compared to those first employed.

Additionally, there is no evidence of any doorways on the outside walls. Thus, approach to all rooms was undoubtedly gained by access holes in the roof. The inhabitants of the Fitzmaurice Ruin were familiar with and extensively used paint on the structure. Colors included blue, green, red, orange, ochre, white, and brown-red. In all cases the roofing material was composed of a clay or mud and decomposed granite and gravel inclusions. This was placed over brush, branches and grasses and measured up to 20 cm. thick. Some of the larger rooms had post holes for the placement of juniper trunks to help support the roof.