Echoes from the Road
Scott August's
journal from the road
while on tour through the Southwest.
|
Phoenix, Prescott and Flagstaff Day
2. Inside, the walls of Casa Grande rise up four stories, the roof and upper floor having long ago succumbed to the ravages of time and human destruction. No one knows for sure what the the structure was used for, but inside are some very interesting features. The walls were tapered, very thick on the bottom and thinner tops, that allow them to support the weight of the many stories. You can still see the holes where the supporting post were imbedded into the walls to hole up the upper floors. The tops of these holes show how Saguaro ribs were used on top of the main post as part of the flooring. The building was built as a nearly perfect 3:4 rectangle. In one room are two holes set across from each other in opposite walls. During the summer equinox, a shaft of sunlight shines through the structure from the first hole directly into the hole on the opposite wall. Was this part of an ancient calendar? Was the Great House at Casa Grand used to view or predict astronomical events like equinoxes, solstices and eclipses? Research suggests it was. Will we ever know if a ruling or priestly class lived in the great house and used the light to determine when to plant crops or to perform rituals, perhaps consolidating their power? The answers remain hidden in the silent walls. |
© Cedar Mesa Music