Skull Mesa rises 2,000 above Cave Creek like a big flat island in the sky. Atop the mammoth grass-covered Mesa is a fort-like pueblo built 800 years ago by the Verde Hohokam. The tallest walls still reach about 6 feet. In the center of the Mesa, on a field of dark boulders, are many petroglyphs, including the spiral at bottom right, and the happy couple with some animals at bottom left.

This 800-year-old Verde Hohokam ruin

overlooks Cave Creek from Elephant

Mountain. All that's left of this ancient

"fort" is a single wall, although the

In this photo of the pueblo, Skull Mesa can be seen in the background.

This is another pueblo in the Cave

Creek drainage, not too high above

the water. I didn't include this place

in my book because it's much easier

to reach than the ruins on Skull Mesa

and Elephant Mt., and its walls are

not as high. Nevertheless, this site

has some nice rock art, like the deer

This rattlesnake is among the living

occupants of the ancient pueblo.