Casas Grandes

On our first night out we stayed at Nuevo Casas Grandes. Casas Grandes, the old town, is a little south.

The pictures below show neither the old nor the new Casas Grandes. They were taken at the Paquime archeological site at the edge of the old town. This prehispanic city flourished between 900 and 1300. When the first Spaniards arrived in 1565 the original inhabitants were long gone. The city was in ruins then as now. No one knows what caused its demise.

On the right is a typical Paquime doorway. Perhaps the narrowness at the base was to prevent an enemy from coming in quickly. You have to hunch down and put one foot directly in front of the other to get through.

There is a very nice archeological museum at the ruins. We left El Paso early Sunday morning so we could get to the museum in the middle of the afternoon. Museums in Mexico are generally closed on Mondays.

That's Vic on the right. He is reading one of the many plaques that are strategically placed around the ruins.