The Hohokam peoples occupied a wide area of south-central Arizona from roughly Flagstaff south to the Mexican border. They are thought to have originally migrated north out of Mexico around 300 BC to become the most skillful irrigation farmers the Southwest ever knew.The ingenious Hohokam developed an elaborate irrigation network using only stone instruments and organized labor. Before modern development obliterated this system, their predecessors commonly referred to them as the Canal Builders. The Hohokam were creative artisans who became famous for their intricate work with shells obtained from the Gulf of California and the Pacific coast.

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They created a coiled pottery finished with a paddle and painted with red designs. They retained a great deal of Mesoamerican influence as can be seen in their use of ball courts and decorative feathers.They also became entrepreneurs in a thriving trade with their neighbors, the Anasazi and the Mogollon. Their fate is unclear, but they seem to have disappeared from the archeological record between the first half of the 15th century and the time when the Spanish first came upon their descendents, Pima-speaking Indians still using the ancient irrigation techniques. Some of their original irrigation canals are still being used in the Phoenix area today!Hohokam Archeological Sites.

HohHardy Site, AZ. Hohokam-Pima National Monument, AZ (Snaketown). Painted Rocks Park, AZ.- A.R Royo.- Mesa Verde National Park preserves the remnants of the Anasazi people, 'The Ancient Ones.' The Cliff Palace, one of the park's most popular attractions, contains over 150 rooms and is the largest cliff dwelling in the world. The Anasazi built these elaborate structures without metal tools of any kind, and no one knows why the left.

Hohokam definition, of, belonging to, or characteristic of an American Indian culture of the central and southern deserts of Arizona, about a.d. 450–1450, roughly contemporaneous with the Anasazi culture to the north.

Take a look at this mysterious remnant of this elusive culture in this DesertUSA video.Canyon de Chelly NM offers the opportunity to learn about Southwestern Indian history from the earliest Anasazi to the Navajo Indians who live and farm here today. Its primary attractions are ruins of Indian villages built between 350 and 1300 AD at the base of sheer red cliffs and in canyon wall caves.The Cosos lie within the confines of China Lake Naval Weapons Center (NWC), the U.S. Navy's largest research and development facility.

But our explorations today are of the ancient Hohokam culture. Archeologists define ancient cultures by comparing similarities in the artifacts they find. In the Southwest they often look at the designs and decorations of pottery, baskets and rock art. In the case of the Hohokam, they also left behind remains of extensive farming and irrigation systems.This irrigation system is a unique artifact of the Hohokam culture.

It is believed that the Hohokam resided in the southern Arizona region from around 400-1400 AD. For unknown reasons the people vanished at about 1400. Most theories suggest that the irrigation systems and non-native crops eventually depleted the soil and their food source literally dried up.What we have left today is a scattering of village foundations, irrigation canals, petroglyphs and cliff dwellings. Some of these have been studied and carefully preserved, some have been deeply damaged and others are yet to be officially discovered. I am fascinated with the possibilities of finding hidden ancient artifacts as I hike the region. We mentioned above that the archeologists categorize the pottery and basketry of the ancient cultures.

The same decorations are also found on rock surfaces. Rock art of the Southwest are petroglyphs. When I first arrived I wondered at the difference between “petroglyphs” here in the southwest and “pictographs” in the Midwest. Was it just semantics, or did these words represent different findings?

Well, it turns out that petroglyphs are scratchings or chipping into the “desert varnish”. Pictographs are actual paintings, using some sort of local dyes.The desert varnish is found on certain rocks in the region. It is an oxidation process that leaves an orange to black coating on exposed rock surfaces in arid environments. Ancient peoples would use a rock tool to scratch through the desert varnish leaving a light drawing on the dark rock surface. Researchers think that the locations of these petroglyphs had sacred significance. Petroglyphs were not typically in villages or homes.

Rather they were in ceremonial spots in the mountains, near springs or on elevated vistas. An easy-to-find example of petroglyphs is in the little Oro Valley city park of Archeologists have identified this as an early Hohokam settlement, 450-1250. This Hohokam village includes a cluster of 19 large mounds surrounding a plaza, a ballcourt and a walled enclosure. As many as 500 to 800 domestic houses are present at the site along with many other cultural features, such as petroglyphs.

An easy hike along the Honey Bee Trail leading north from the park entrance will take you to the petroglyphs. The Tonto National Forest is 3 million acres of Sonoran desert, deeply forested mountain peaks and dramatic Rim country. Within the forest is the, a park service center featuring cliff dwellings of the Salado peoples. The term Salado comes from the Spanish name Rio Salado, or the Salt River, that runs from the White Mountains in eastern Arizona through the Tonto Basin to its confluence with the Gila River in central Arizona.

Today, these cliff dwellings look down on Roosevelt Lake, a man-made lake in the Salt River Basin. Casa Grande is another National Monument that preserves the ruins of a massive Hohokam culture settlement. This site includes a several multi-storied caliche buildings, irrigation canals and agricultural plots. The early types of dwelling were “pit houses”. These consisted of a deep oval pit covered by a pole framework and a layer of mud exterior.By the 1100’s more permanent, above-ground structures began to be built.

Using caliche, a natural concrete-like material found under the topsoil throughout the desert region, they built houses with solid walls and flat, caliche-covered roofs.Caliche homes were grouped into caliche-walled compounds, and these compounds were arranged around public plazas and public structures. The Casa Grande was built within one of these compounds. Just a few miles north of the Steam Pump Ranch is. This is a “must see” when.

The park is full of hiking trails, campgrounds, picnic areas, sandy washes and majestic mountains. In shadow of the Catalina Mountains, but perched safely above the Canada del Oro Wash, is the excavated Romero Ruins. Archeologists have found ancient foundations to a wall that enclosed the village. The excavations also discovered pit houses and two ball courts. The ball courts were prevalent during the time period between 750-1050 AD.

They were typically a depression from 60 to 200 feet long. Earthen berms and rocks were built up along the sides of the depressions. The ball courts were used for community gatherings and competitions. It was felt that these promoted cooperation and conflict resolution between neighboring villages. Hi, I am a new retiree ready to spend the second half of my life exploring people, places and ideas.

I have a theory that an active sense of wonder and curiosity might help a person navigate the aging process. Duke nukem: manhattan project walkthrough. A spirit of questioning and exploring will help keep us “relevant” to modern society.Here at Go Learn Things, we believe that wonder and curiosity make life an ongoing adventure.

In our ever more global and yet polarized society, we need people to open their minds and hearts to the world around them. Travel and exploring is a great way to experience the concept of “walking in another’s shoes”.A life full of curiosity and wonder is a life well-lived! So let’s Go Learn Things Follow on your favorite Social platform.