Shoofly Village Ruin is located on the Houston Mesa below the Mogollon Rim and represents the remains of a large masonary and Jacal prehistoric community. It contains 80+ rooms and many courtyards and plazas. The village covers 4 acres and was surrounded by a massive stone wall. Between AD 1000 and 1250 as many as 250 people may have lived inside its walls. The residents made their living by farming, gathering wild plant food, and hunting. Today it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The village wall is indicated by the ring of trees that surround the site. Today you may visit this site to discover how people lived 800 years ago.
The people of the Shoofly Village had close cultural ties with the Hohokam and Salado people who lived in the deserts and the mountains to the south. By the time the village was established, they had developed their own distinctive culture. Trade with neighboring peoples brought in obsidian, decorated pottery, and jewlery, and introduced the villagers to new ideas in architecture. The Shoofly Village is a unique archeological site because of its ov its various styles of architecture. Over the centuries, Shoofly architects may have changed their building styles to adapt to changing social needs and conditions.
Today you can tour these ancient ruins and get a glimpse into what life was like in Rim Country 800 to 1000 years ago. The Shoofly Ruins are located north of Payson, AZ and south of Pine, AZ along Houston Mesa Road. The site has a paved parking lot and a paved 1/4 mile walking path. The surrounding lanscape provides spectacular views. The ruins are also located near the entrance of Shoofly Canyon which is a great place for horseback riding or quads.
There is not much left of the village but rubble. However the forest service has done a good job of putting informational plaques along the path to explain what life was like in the village centuries ago.
