An hour's hike from the nearest source of water and perched hundreds of feet over the valley below, the site "is an excellent example of just how scared these people must have been," said archaeologist Tony Largaespada.

The Gallina disappeared from the region around 1275 and left behind several kinds of buildings, from large defensive stone towers to low-profile pit houses. But this small complex of mud-brick rooms, called Nogales Cliff House, may be the best measure of the desperation that marked the Gallina's final days.

"A lot of [Gallina structures] are right out in the open. This one's hiding in a little nook," Largaespada said.

"It was occupied right at the end, and it was only occupied for a short period of time. It may have been all that was left, their last stronghold."

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