Desert Messenger

SEE ROCKS PAGE 17 ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS Mountains, canals & pretty pictures 14 www.DesertMessenger.com June 15, 2016 La Paz Regional Hospital & Clinics La Paz Medical Services Quartzsite Imaging 928-927-8747 928-927-5067 Located at 150 E. Tyson Rd. in Quartzsite Cardiology - Fadi Atassi, M.D. Ear, Nose,Throat - Devin Cunning, M.D. General/Vascular - Abedon Saiz, M.D. Surgery Oncology - Paul O'Neill Orthopedics - Steven Anderson, D.O. John Lankenau, M.D. Theron Tilgner, D.O. Rheumatology/ - Summer Tilgner, D.N.P. Orthopedic *All numbers are (928) area code 669-5482 854-5368 453-2900 854-4497 854-3333 453-2211 854-3333 854-7666 La Paz Regional Specialty Clinic 1200 West Mohave Rd., Parker, AZ 85344 www.lapazhospital.org Check our website for the up-to-date Specialty Clinic Calendar Podiatrist Dr. Zarkou & Cardiologist Dr. Askari make regularly scheduled visits to La Paz Medical Services Looking down from North Mountain's summit, the sprawling city of Phoenix spreads out across the desert in every direction as far as the eye can see. To the south, downtown's skyscrapers reach to the sky. The streets below are crammed with cars, while all man- ner of vehicles speed from one end of town to the other on I10 and I17. The 101 and 202 loops carry travelers and commuters around the heart of the city, past the peaks of North Moun- tain, South Mountain, and the White Tanks. Along I10, at the Southwest edge of town, the rugged Estrellas rise up from the desert floor while McDowell Mountain peaks provide a scenic background for the Northeast corner of the 202 loop. On any given day, motorists whiz by the dramatic peaks of Phoenix sev- eral times. Most do not give them any thought, while some may appre- ciate them merely as pretty scenery on their commute. But only those who stop and explore these moun- tains truly understand the treasures that they hold. Long before the desert floor around these peaks was smothered with all the trappings of modern urban life, these mountains were home to the ancient pueblo people called Hohokam. The Hohokam inhabited an extend- ed region of the four corners area from about 100 AD to around 1500 AD and are recognized as one of the four major ancient cultures of the desert southwest. Extending from the Colorado River in the west to the eastern part of New Mexico, as far north as central Colorado and Utah, and as far south as Tucson, Hohokam culture inhabited a central trade po- sition between the desert southwest and Mexico. Its core area was lo- cated along the Salt and Gila Rivers in the part of the desert we now call Phoenix. In addition to significant trading centers, the Hohokam estab- lished elaborate agricultural systems and stable urban centers specifically adapted to the arid desert environ- ment in the Phoenix area. The Hohokam cultivated varieties of cotton, tobacco, maize, beans, squash, and agave, and also har- vested a vast assortment of wild plants. They developed elaborate agricultural strategies that enabled them to create prosperous villages and settlements throughout the Phoenix Basin. The Hohokam perfected extensive dry-farming techniques and built a complex as- sortment of canals to utilize the wa- ters of the Salt and Gila Rivers. As early as 2000 BC, the Hohokam or their ancestors were the first North American culture to rely on irriga- tion canals to water their crops, and by 1300 AD their irrigation systems supported the largest population in the desert southwest. The Ho- hokam canal irrigation system was so intricate it rivaled those used in the ancient Near East, Egypt and China, and portions of it are still in use today as part of the modern day canal system. But the Hohokam left us much more than an elaborate irrigation canal system. They left us part of themselves. Throughout the mountains, canyons, washes, and mesas in and around Phoenix there are petroglyphs, ruins of ancient urban centers, houses, and ceremo- nial sites. For those who get off the highway, slow down from the hustle and bustle of modern day city life, and venture into the wilder part of the Phoenix Basin, treasure awaits. Here are memories and stories about the ancient peoples who once called this desert landscape home. Not too far from the Phoenix met- ropolitan area, in Carefree, lie the Sears-Kay Ruins. This site holds the remains of a fortified hilltop com- munity originally occupied by the Hohokam peoples around 1050 AD. This complex originally housed about 100 people within a structure comprised of about 40 rooms. A few miles north of the Sears-Kay site is the location of another ruin called Juans Canyon, where an abundance of pottery shards and tools have been found. A third un-named site containing ruins of several rooms and a wall is located just north of Sears-Kay. There are also ruins found near Gold Canyon. Two of the largest Hohokam ceremonial Temple Mounds, Mesa Grande and Pueblo Grande, are found in Mesa, Arizona, and were used between 1100 and 1450 AD. Remains of a pit house village with irrigation ca- nals and terraces can be found in the White Tank Mountains In addition to ruins and temple mounds, petroglyphs abound in the mountains within the Phoenix area. The Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve, just off of I17 in north Phoenix is a 47 acre archeological site containing over 1500 Hohokam petroglyphs between 500 and 7000 years old. Petroglyphs can also be found along several trails within the North Mountain and South Moun- tain Preserves. Within the White Tank Mountains, 11 sites have been identified containing several types of cultural artifacts. A total of 340 basalt boulders bearing petroglyphs have so far been recorded, as well as grinding holes, tools and pot sherds, rock alignments, and other impor- tant features like archeoastronomy

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