This spectacular ruin is 12 miles east of I-10 and its namesake town of Casa Grande. Casa grande, of course, means “big house,” and that’s exactly what you’ll find here, the dramatic ruins of an earth-walled adobe structure built 650 years ago by the Hohokam people. Towering four stories high, it is protected from the elements by an even more towering ramada roof designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The visitor center exhibits and tours are fascinating; they provide a glimpse into the lives of the somewhat mysterious Hohokam people, who lived in the region for thousands of years before abruptly disappearing in the 1400s.