Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park

Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park Review

For a step 800 years back in time, tour the 2 acres of the excavated Salado Indian site at the Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park on the southeastern side of town. After a trip through the small museum and a video introduction, enter the area full of remnants of more than 200 rooms occupied here by the Salado during the 13th and 14th centuries. Public areas include the central plaza (also the principal burial ground), roasting pits, and open patios. Besh-Ba-Gowah is a name given by the Apaches, who, arriving in the 17th century, found the pueblo abandoned, and moved in—loosely translated, the name means "metal camp," and remains left on the site point to it as part of an extensive commerce and trading network.