Cuarenta Casas

Homes built into the cliffs of Chihuahua

In the rugged municipality of Madera, Chihuahua, Cuarenta Casas preserves a settlement that turns natural rock shelters into architecture. The name means “Forty Houses,” but it is not a reliable count of buildings. INAH explains that the local name refers broadly to the numerous archaeological shelters in the region. The best-known structures occupy caves and overhangs in the Huápoca landscape, where walls, beams and small openings sit within the contours of the canyon rather than on a flat urban grid.

INAH dates one significant occupation to about eight centuries ago, when Paquimé was a major centre in the region and archaeological researchers later described related material traditions as Casas Grandes. That connection places Cuarenta Casas within a wider cultural landscape, but it should not be reduced to a simple outpost of Paquimé. The site’s builders adapted local caves and materials to make residential spaces, and its architecture reflects the choices of people who lived in the northern Mexican highlands.

The official site account describes nineteen known cave units with archaeological structures. Four are currently identified as open to the public: Cueva de la Ventana, Cueva del Puente, Cueva del Gato and Cueva de las Ratas. Cueva de la Ventana contains the largest concentration of buildings and is described by INAH as the area best adapted for a visit. The distinction matters for trip planning: the name refers to a broader archaeological zone, not to forty houses that can all be entered.

Reading the architecture and daily routines

Inside the shelters, builders used local earth and plant materials to create multi-room dwellings. INAH describes successive layers of compacted earth, sometimes reinforced with gravel, small stones and vegetation. Upper walls could include a framework of branches and straw. Pine beams and woven palm roofing formed part of the construction tradition, while small windows and doors helped organize rooms and air movement. These were designed homes, not temporary camps placed in caves for shelter alone.

Several doorways are shaped like a T, a feature found in the wider Casas Grandes architectural tradition. The openings are small, and the rooms are arranged around practical tasks. Archaeologists have documented stone-and-mud hearths, large storage features and granaries shaped like jars, although many of these elements are now degraded. The remains suggest residents managed food preparation and storage within the cave complexes, but the evidence does not provide a complete account of household size or ownership.

The architecture also responds to the canyon environment. Rock overhangs offered protection, but builders still had to stabilize walls, connect rooms and work with irregular cave floors. The setting is visually dramatic; it is also a reminder that these communities understood local geology and seasonal conditions. Cuarenta Casas is most compelling when seen as a combination of landscape and construction, where the cave is not scenery behind a house but part of the building itself.

From early records to archaeological protection

The story of the site entered written accounts long after its original occupation. INAH points to Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca’s 1526 book, commonly known as Naufragios, as an early historical reference to the area. The Norwegian explorer Carl Lumholtz visited the region in 1890 and described it in his book Unknown Mexico. During the second half of the twentieth century, archaeologist Robert Lister investigated the site while studying connections between Mesoamerican communities and societies of the American Southwest.

Cuarenta Casas was formally declared an archaeological monument zone in January 2002. The designation protects a network of cave settlements rather than a single façade. It also places limits on how visitors should approach the remains: walls, beams, hearths and fragile surfaces are archaeological evidence, not props. Staying on authorized routes and following the site’s rules helps reduce wear on structures that have survived because their location and construction offered shelter.

INAH’s own portal cautions that its repository is continually reviewed and that published information can change without prior notice. That warning is practical as well as administrative: the archaeological zone lies outside the main city, and details such as access and operating hours matter before setting out. Read the current site profile alongside any dated guide, and confirm time-sensitive arrangements with the Chihuahua INAH office when needed.

Plan a visit to Cuarenta Casas

INAH’s Lugares page lists free admission for Mexican and foreign visitors and identifies parking, toilets and guided visits among the services. It gives the address as kilometre 42.5 on the Ciudad Madera–Mesa del Huracán road, in El Vallecito, municipality of Madera. From Chihuahua City, the stated route follows toll highway 16 toward Ciudad Madera and continues north toward Mesa del Huracán. This is a remote trip, so check road and weather conditions before setting out.

There is a discrepancy in official information about the closing time. The Lugares profile currently lists Tuesday through Sunday, 09:00–17:00, with last access at 15:00; an INAH bulletin issued in 2026 describes the site as open 09:00–15:00. For a reliable plan, treat 15:00 as the latest confirmed admission time and contact the local INAH office before travel to verify when the gates close on your date. Do not rely on the longer time without checking.

Four cave groups are listed as open to visitors, but access inside the archaeological zone is controlled. INAH prohibits smoking, food and pets; follow staff instructions and avoid touching or climbing on fragile construction. The site’s appeal lies in the contrast between carefully built homes and the natural cliffs that shelter them. Allow time to look at the T-shaped doors, the surviving beams and the relation between the caves, then continue your journey with the understanding that “Forty Houses” names a landscape of many archaeological spaces—not a literal count.