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Cuarenta Casas
History
Cuarenta Casas archaeological site
Location	Casas Grandes, Chihuahua Mexico
Coordinates	29°33′12.60″N 108°10′09.30″W / 29.5535000°N 108.1692500°W / 29.5535000; -108.1692500
Founded	Around 600 CE. (Paquimé Culture)
Abandoned	Around 1350 CE
Cultures	Mogollon, Oasisamerica
Site notes
Website	Las Cuarenta Casas, Pagina Web INAH

Cuarenta Casas (meaning "40 houses") is an amazing ancient site in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. It's famous for its unique cliff dwellings. These homes were built right into natural caves!

The Mogollon culture is believed to have built this site. It's located in Vallecito, within the Casas Grandes Municipality. Cuarenta Casas is thought to be the southernmost place where the Mogollon culture had a strong influence. The most famous part is the Cueva de las Ventanas (Cave of the Windows). Early Spanish explorers gave the site its name, guessing there were about 40 structures. The area actually has five main cave communities: Cueva del Puente, Cueva de la Serpiente, Nido del Aguila, and Cueva Grande.

Exploring the Ancient Zone

Map of major Oasisamerican cultures, circa 1350 CE

This ancient zone is about 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Madera. It sits in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains of Mexico. It's also about 250 kilometers (155 miles) northwest of Chihuahua City.

There are five important archaeological sites from the Paquimé Culture here. You can reach them from the Madera municipality.

Huápoca: Caves in the Canyon

Huápoca is located 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Madera. You get there by a dirt road. The ancient Pueblo caves here are called the Serpent and the Eagle Nest caves. They are some of the most impressive homes built into cliffs. You can see complete structures still standing.

The area also offers wonderful views of the Huapoca Canyon.

Cueva de la Serpiente: Snake Cave Homes

This cave has 14 adobe houses. These homes are over 1,000 years old!

Nido del águila: Eagle's Nest Home

This cave has only one house. It's built right on the edge of a steep cliff. It sits under a rocky overhang, which explains its name, "Eagle's Nest."

Cueva Grande: The Big Cave with a Waterfall

Cueva Grande is 66 kilometers (41 miles) west of Madera, also on a dirt road. This cave is hidden by winding land and tree branches. A beautiful waterfall falls from the top of the cave into a stream, hiding the cave's entrance.

Inside, you'll find two double-story houses. These homes are 800 years old. They are great examples of how the native people built their homes. There's also a round area behind the structures that was used for storing grain.

La Ranchería: Canyon Complex

This is a cave complex located 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Madera. It has a large area of ancient remains at the bottom of the Sirupa canyon.

Cueva del Puente: Bridge Cave

This cave is located 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Madera.

Cueva de Las Ventanas: Cave of the Windows

In the early 1500s, explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca wrote about finding "forty houses" (cuarenta casas) near a mountain. This is likely the site we know today.

History of Cuarenta Casas

The rock wall of the canyon, the Cueva de las Ventanas cliff dwelling is located left of center above a debris-covered cone.

People probably first settled in Chihuahua's Western Mountain Range. Ancient hunter-gatherer groups moved from the north. They were looking for places with lots of edible plants. One of these groups left the first signs of life in the "Cueva de las Ventanas." This was before any buildings were constructed.

As these settlers learned how to farm, they started living near rivers. This led to the rise of the Paquimé culture. This culture was centered near what is now Casas Grandes, Chihuahua.

Cuarenta Casas was built when Paquimé (Casas Grandes) was at its peak. This was from about 1205 to 1260 CE. This time period is part of the later Mogollon culture. Cuarenta Casas was a safe place, much like other sites at Mesa Verde and Bandelier.

The buildings here have special T-shaped doorways. This is a common feature in homes built by their northern neighbors. They are made from adobe (a type of mud brick) and rock. Pine logs were used for beams.

It's possible that Cuarenta Casas was like a fort. It might have protected friendly groups in the area. It also could have guarded important trade routes. The people who lived here grew corn and squash. They also hunted small animals like rabbits. They gathered wild plants such as acorns, yucca seeds, and maguey leaves. Archaeologists found remains that confirm this diet.

The main Paquimé center likely had problems with unfriendly groups nearby. This explains why there were so many lookout points in the area. The settlement eventually declined and was abandoned. Some people may have moved away.

The buildings date back to this time. The area was a meeting point for native traders. They connected the Paquimé group with the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of California coasts. They also traded with other cultural centers to the north. These included Mesa Verde in Colorado and Chaco Canyon in New Mexico.

Trade routes to the Pacific followed the Piedras Verdes River south. They connected to other rivers that flowed to the Pacific. This happened through smaller streams and canyons. One of these is the Huapoca Canyon, west of Madera. The Huapoca Canyon is not the deepest, but it has the most archaeological interest.

We don't know exactly why the settlement declined around 1340 CE. When Paquimé fell as a major center, the trade routes disappeared. The guards left their posts, and many settlements along the route were abandoned. The "Cueva de las Ventanas" was sometimes used again, mainly for ceremonies.

Around 1520, native groups still lived in the caves. This allowed us to learn about their way of life. These natives called themselves "Jovas" or Cáhitas. This ethnic group is now considered extinct.

The last time Cuarenta Casas was actively used was during the peak of Paquimé. This was from 1205 to 1260 CE.

What You See at the Site

Typical T-shaped doorway

The large building in the Cueva de las Ventanas with Room 5 in the background.

Of all the cave complexes, only the "Cueva de las Ventanas" has been partly restored. It's a smaller archaeological site. The buildings have strong walls made of poured adobe. They also feature small "T" shaped doors. These doors are a key part of the ancient architecture in this region.

It's a two-story structure. You can only visit the rooms on the ground floor. These rooms are laid out to use the cave space as efficiently as possible.

Cueva de las Ventanas: Inside the Cave

Most rooms had smooth, plastered floors and fireplaces.

Room 1: The Destroyed Room

This room is almost completely destroyed. It was located towards the cave's slope.

Room 2: The Watchtower Room

A watchtower was built on the higher part of this room. It has many small windows. It also had a small drain channel and a urinal. These are the only ones found at the site. People think it was used especially during the harsh winters.

Room 3: The Main Activity Room

This is a large room. Its features suggest it was where most daily activities happened. There's a sidewalk carved into the rock. This makes archaeologists believe it was used for certain ceremonies. This is similar to how kivas were used by Native Americans in the southwestern US. This site has many similarities with sites in that region.

The room is partly covered with a roof made of pine beams. You can still see parts of windows. These windows might have worked with those in the watchtower. A normal-sized door was found here. All other doors are about one meter (3 feet) high. In this room, and almost all others, you can see remains of strong, well-finished plastered floors.

Room 4: Another Large Room

This room is almost totally destroyed. It doesn't have a ceiling. The remaining walls show that it was larger than other rooms at the back of the cave. It probably had similar uses to Room 3.

Room 5: The Irregular Room

This room has an unusual shape. It was built over a large rock. Old photos show that it had an oval-shaped barn inside. This barn had a woven grass cover. It was about two meters (6.5 feet) tall. Today, it's completely destroyed. You can only see parts of the walls on the floor. These walls were strengthened with dry woven grass and covered with mud. Other similar barns have been found in sites in the "Sierra Madre Occidental."

Room 6: Housing Unit

The remaining rooms were built at the end of the cave. They are built into the rocky wall. It's believed these were living spaces.

Room 6 is on the south side. Its pine wood ceiling beams are still in good condition. It's next to rooms 3 and 7, so it's very dark and cold.

Rooms 7 and 8: More Living Spaces

Room 7 is similar to Room 6 and doesn't have any special features. Room 8 doesn't have a ceiling. It opens to a small area that might have been an inner patio. Perhaps this area was used for making arrows. Several stone tools were found here. These tools were used to carve and smooth wood for making projectiles.

Rooms 9 and 10: Deteriorated Rooms

Both rooms are damaged. Room 10 was probably supported by the last people who lived there. Small stoves were found here. There were also compacted earth steps that led to the long rooms in the front.

Room 11: The Painted Room

This room is similar to the others. But, for some reason, native groups visited it and painted designs on its walls. These are smooth figures that look like long birds with clear beaks. It's possible these artists were the original inhabitants. They might have returned to perform a ritual that couldn't be done elsewhere.

Room 12: The Burial Site

A single burial was found here. It might have been a local leader. The body was placed in a small space between the wall and the cave rock. It had a small offering of corn, one ceramic pot, and a leather bag with pinole. Pinole is a type of flour used by ancient Mexican people. The burial also included semi-precious stones. These might have been like money to help the person enter the underworld. The man was wrapped in a special mat (Petate) used for burials. These mats are shown in some ancient Mexican books called codices.

Rooms 13 and 14: Final Rooms

Room 13 is very damaged. It might have been quite large.

Room 14 is smaller and separate. It was built at the rocky bottom of the cave. Because it's so small, it could only have been used for sleeping. It might also have been used to temporarily isolate people.

From this room, you can see the floors of the second-floor rooms. Even though they are damaged, you can see clay shapes near the center of each floor. These are rectangular and not very tall. They might have been stoves used at the site.