The
Hohokam site was occupied between 100 and 1450 AD and artifacts found at Pueblo
Grande indicate that the site was heavily influenced by trade contacts with
Mexico. The site contains a Central American style ball court and a large
masonry platform mound surrounded by caliche-brick dwellings, which is similar
to sites found farther to the south. To support the large number of Hohokam
people that lived in this area, an elaborate canal system was developed to
irrigate crops from the Salt River. The canals are an engineering marvel and were
aligned and developed so efficiently that when pioneers settled the area they
were able to use the existing canals with almost no realignment of the ditches
to provide efficient water distribution to the fields. The canal system is
still used today to support farming in the area.
The
main platform mound at Pueblo Grande contains numerous rooms and has not been
completely excavated, but some of the walls have been reconstructed and
stabilized to help visualize what the site looked like when occupied by the
Hohokam people. Of particular interest are the replicated houses that have been
furnished with items that would have been used during the Hohokam time period.
There is also an excellent museum on site that contains Hohokam artifacts and
examples of items created by other native people and more recent craftsmen. The
museum also provides interpretative programs, museum lectures, and educational
classes. This site is definitely worth visiting when in Phoenix.
Entrance to Museum and Pueblo Grande ruins
Rendering of what ruins may have looked like when occupied
Artifiacts in museum
Examles of pottery in museum
Examples of crafts in museum
Room configuration on top of mound
Unstabilized room walls on top of mound
Stabilized room walls on top of mound
Replicated square building
Interior of replicated square building
Replicated rounded building
Interior of replicated rounded building
Ball Court
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