Mesa Grande Cultural Park, in
Mesa, Arizona
Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the most populous city in the East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by Tempe on the west, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community ...
, preserves a group of
Hohokam
Hohokam () was a culture in the North American Southwest in what is now part of Arizona, United States, and Sonora, Mexico. It existed between 300 and 1500 AD, with cultural precursors possibly as early as 300 BC. Archaeologists disagree abou ...
structures constructed during the Classic Period. The ruins were occupied between AD 1100 and 1400 (
Pueblo II –
Pueblo IV Era) and were a product of the Hohokam civilization that inhabited the
Salt River Valley. There the Hohokam constructed an extensive system of water canals. It is one of only two Hohokam
mound
A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher ...
s remaining in the metro
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
area, with the other being the
Pueblo Grande Museum Archaeological Park. The site's central feature is a massive ruin of adobe walls and platforms.
It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1978
[ when it was owned by B-movie actress Acquanetta and her husband Jack Ross. The site was acquired from them in 1988 by the city of Mesa.
After the 2013 completion of the Mesa Grande Visitor's Center,][Hours of operation can be found here: ]
The Mesa Grande Cultural Park, as it is now known, is operated by the Arizona Museum of Natural History. The museum is currently undertaking archaeological studies at the site. The mound remains remarkably intact. The general site remains protected but undeveloped.
The ruins are located to the west and across the street from the former Mesa Lutheran Hospital, now a Banner Health corporate center housing billing and Information Technology
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology syste ...
employees.
Artifacts presumably associated with the ruins have been found in the neighborhood to the west. Axe heads, arrow heads, and pottery sherd
In archaeology, a sherd, or more precisely, potsherd, is commonly a historic or prehistoric fragment of pottery, although the term is occasionally used to refer to fragments of stone and glass vessels, as well.
Occasionally, a piece of broken ...
s were regularly uncovered and collected by residents during the 1960s and 1970s just under the surface of the earth in private property there.
Gallery
See also
* Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
* Oasisamerica cultures
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
External links
*
Arizona Museum of Natural History: Mesa Grande
{{Authority control
Archaeological sites in Arizona
Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona
Buildings and structures in Mesa, Arizona
Hohokam
Native American history of Arizona
Native American pottery
Protected areas of Maricopa County, Arizona
Puebloan buildings and structures
National Register of Historic Places in Maricopa County, Arizona