Squaw Creek Pueblo is one of the largest and most interesting ruins on the Agua Fria National Monument. Also known by the more politically-correct name of Pueblo de Las Mujeres ("Pueblo of the Woman" in Spanish), it consists of a main pueblo and several satellite sites that total between 150 and 200 rooms. Due to its remoteness, it is also in better condition that many of the other pueblos.

This pueblo has the distinction of being one of the few sites in the Monument with a defensive perimeter wall. The others are Baby Canyon Pueblo, Fort Silver (near Pueblo La Plata), and Horseshoe Butte--and there is speculation among archaeologists that Fort Silver and Horeshoe Butte may be of more recent Yavapai origin, and not contemporaneous with the pueblos. The wall (see the aerial photos above) surrounds approximately two-thirds of the site, with the remaining third being protected by the cliff at the edge of the mesa.

Squaw Creek is also one of several pueblos in the Monument that has a "racetrack" feature (Photo 1). Archeologists speculate that these tracks, which look like landing strips for small aircraft, were used for some kind of sporting event. This one is approximately 400 feet long and 70 feet wide, and is oriented almost exactly north-south. A second racetrack (not visible) runs parallel to the perimeter wall under the modern access road. These racetracks are very difficult to see from the ground, and were only recognized when archeologists began to study aerial photographs of the Monument.

The site itself is of the "massed room block" construction typical of pueblos on the Monument. The exposed portions of the walls are mostly collapsed, and there is no sign of the wooden timbers that would have once supported roofs. The remains of a section of the perimeter wall is shown in Photo 4. The wall is 800 feet long and, based on the amount of stones, once stood about six feet high. A 30-foot cliff protects the east and south sides of the pueblo. Photo 5 shows one of the few accessible routes up the cliff. Note the remains of the walls at the top of the photo.

Photo 7 shows the field in front of the pueblo. This is not a natural landscape. The ground has been cleared and probably terraced to support the growing of corn, cotton, agave, and other food crops. Photo 8 shows two species of agave still growing nearby, which are probably descendants of those cultivated by the puebloans. There are many species of agave in Arizona, and although most are edible, some were more prized than others. Some species do not propagate themselves without human assistance. The mapping of various agave species at ruins throughout the state is an ongoing topic of research.

Prickly Pear (photo 10) is also edible. The pads, once cleaned of spines, can be roasted and eaten. Also, the yellow blossoms visible in this early spring photo will turn into small red fruit that can be eaten raw, squeezed into a tasty drink, or made into jelly.

The basalt cliffs below the ruin are covered with petroglyphs. Two of them stand out, having been colored in with bright red pigment (photos 15 and 16). As it happens, the Deer Valley Rock Art Center in Phoenix has a major exhibit about the Agua Fria National Monument that includes photos of these exact two petroglyphs. According to them, "...some prehistoric glyphs have been altered by the addition of bright red pigment. This may have been done as part of a ritual renewal process by historic and modern Native Americans."