Ancient Desert Farmers Leave a Legacy

The Hohokam people, early farmers, settled near the current grounds of Pueblo Grande Museum at 44th Street and Washington around AD 450 and lived in the area for 1,000 years until about AD 1450. The community of Pueblo Grande boasted populations between 1,000 and 2,500 people at various times and approximately 10,000 acres of cultivated land. The main crops were cotton, corns, beans and squash. These early desert dwellers supplemented their diets by hunting small game such as rabbits and mule deer and possibly by fishing.

Many people are surprised to learn that the Southwest had a bustling commerce with sophisticated trade routes along well-traveled roads. Cotton was the main trade item for the Hohokam, who traded with other communities in present day Arizona, New Mexico, California and the Mesoamerican cultures of Mexico for items such as shells, pottery, obsidian, copper bells, macaw birds and much more.

The Hohokam people are best known for the extensive canal system they engineered to water their crops in a dry land. Pueblo Grande was the site of a major head gate that controlled the flow of water for smaller communities and field villages. Many of the canals were so well engineered that early settlers of Phoenix used them for their own farming needs, which helped to populate the young city in the 1800s. In fact, many of the canals used today by local utility company Salt River Project (SRP) were originally constructed by the Hohokam people, who built the canals without modern engineering equipment-and without beasts of burden!

The Hohokam were also well known for their beautiful red on buff pottery with intricate designs. Some of these pieces are on display in the Pueblo Grande Museum galleries. They also traded for shell jewelry from which they fashioned extraordinary shell pendants, rings and bracelets. The shells made their way to Arizona from the Pacific coast or the Gulf of Mexico through trade partners.

The Hohokam people were an impressive, resourceful group who thrived in the Sonoran Desert-which was no small feat! The remnants of their lives are now surrounded by a major metropolitan city. Visitors today wind along a two-third mile interpretive trail that features the remains of a prehistoric ball court and platform mound as well as replicated housing systems and an agricultural garden featuring cotton, corn, beans, squash and amaranth such as the Hohokam people may have planted. The grounds also host a variety of native plants.

Inside the museum are three galleries. The long-term exhibit features information on the Hohokam and on the southwestern environment and archaeology as well as a children's hands-on gallery. The changing exhibit gallery has also been featured at Sky Harbor Airport for the past 20 years. And the theater contains the award winning 10 minute introductory video to the Hohokam people and the site of Pueblo Grande Museum.

In addition to the exhibits and trail system, the museum has many special events and programs offered throughout the year for adults and children. In the fall and winter months, you can visit the Native American Farmers Market in October, Veterans Day Gourd Dance in November and the annual Indian Market in December. In the spring and summer, Ancient Technology Day is part of Archaeology Awareness month in March, and the Hohokam Experience offers summer programs in July and August. Throughout the year, the museum features programs such as Archaeology for Kids, Petroglyph Discovery Hikes, lectures and tours of the prehistoric canals.

The Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park is a section of the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department Natural Resources Division. Donated in 1924, the first museum opened in 1929 when the Museum Director/City Archaeologist was hired and Phoenix became the first city in the nation to have a city archeologist. The first museum building was built at a cost of $14.95 for a box of nails and constructed from adobe manufactured with natural materials on site. Today's campus includes collections storage, a meeting facility, long-term exhibits and more.

Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park has been in continuous operation for nearly 80 years serving Phoenix citizens and their guests. Visit the museum to see what life would have been like in Phoenix 1,000 years ago. We look forward to having you as our guest!

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