Natural Features & Ecosystems

In order to take care of an ecosystem, land managers need to know how and why natural systems change over time, and what amount of change is normal. To facilitate this monitoring, Tuzigoot is part of the Sonoran Desert Network, through which full time researchers have designed and implemented an integrated inventory and monitoring program.

Tuzigoot National Monument has a variety of ecosystems, from the dry hilltop where the pueblo was built to the marshy floodplan below. The landscape shows extensive evidence of human activity, including agriculture, construction, and mining. Evidence of human presence can be seen in the mesquite bosque below the pueblo and the capped mine tailings area adjacent to the entrance road.