But there are some that cannot be seen because there's no way to reach them. FOX 10's Troy Hayden found a way to examine some of the hidden ruins in our state.
They have stood on this plateau for centuries, mostly out of reach and mostly untouched for the last 800 years -- silent witnesses to the progress that is right at their doorstep.
You might say they are ruins hidden in plain sight, just 40 miles north of the valley, just off the side of one of our state's busiest highways.
It’s tough to see from the road, but from SkyFox, what a view. As many as 20 ancient rooms are bordered by high walls and filled with artifacts.
There is no road up here, no trail, so pilot Rick Crabbs, Photographer Dave Stermon and Troy Hayden took SkyFox. They set down and did a little exploring.
They're at least 800 years old, maybe even older.
The Indians who built these farmed the surrounding hills. They may have perched their homes here on the side of these cliffs for protection from hostile tribes. They built strategic slats into their walls -- maybe early air conditioning.
Some pieces of their pottery can still be found inside the dwelling. The whole thing is impressive. Being there is a pretty powerful experience.
The ruins are in such good shape because they're hard to get to, and not a whole lot of people know about them.
The Indians decorated the dwelling with dozens of well preserved petroglyphs. Scientists think, at its peak in the mid-13th century, a tribe of about a thousand lived on this mesa. But 100 years later they all just disappeared. Nobody knows why. Was it war? Drought?
Conservatively, this could have been here 300 years before Columbus set sail. Yet here we have modern day I-17, Black Canyon City.
So close to modern civilization, yet seen by so few. We aren't going to point out exactly where this is,so that 100 years from now, some other explorers might find it just as we did.
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