(Courtesy photo: The Arizona Republic)

Casa Malpais was built around 1260 and was inhabited until about 1400. It is one of the latest dated Mogollon sites

Today, within 30 miles of Mountain Valley, located near the town of Springerville, visitors will find waterskiing, windsurfing and petroglyphs at Lyman Lake State Park, campsites, historical museums, hundreds of acres of National Forest offering tall pines and herds of elk and antelope.

The name Casa Malpais has been misinterpreted to mean “House of the Badlands,” but the name actually refers to the type of volcanic vesicular basalt rock, or Malapi, which the site is built on.

This site is surrounded by unusual beauty on a rim of volcanic rock overlooking the Little Colorado River’s Round Valley. The White Mountains lie to the south.

Natural fissures are located throughout the site. Evidence shows that these fissures were used for religious ceremonies as these people of the mountains struggled with the complexities of life and death in their harsh environment.

Both the Hopi and Zuni Indian tribes still consider Casa Malpais a sacred ancestral place.

The site features a solar calendar, a great kiva, ancient stairways, and rock art from the Mogollon culture. The Casa Malpais Visitor Center and Museum displays artifacts found at Casa Malpais and offers guided tours of the site that originate at the museum.