Mesa Grande

Mesa Grande
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	Mesa, Arizona
Coordinates	33°26′2.94″N 111°50′42.98″W / 33.4341500°N 111.8452722°W / 33.4341500; -111.8452722
Governing body	Public
NRHP Reference #	78000549 [1]
Added to NRHP	November 21, 1978

Mesa Grande Cultural Park, in Mesa, Arizona, preserves a group of Hohokam structures constructed during the classical 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 before vanishing for mysterious reasons. It is one of only two Hohokam mounds remaining in the metro Phoenix 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.^[2][3]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978^[1] when it was owned by B-movie actress Acquanetta. The site was acquired from her in 1988 by the city of Mesa.^[4]

With the building of the Mesa Grande Visitor's Center, the site is now seasonally open to the public from October, through May. Hours of operation can be found here: http://www.azmnh.org/arch/mesagrande.aspx

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 employees.

Artifacts presumably associated with the ruins have been found in the neighborhood to the west. Axe heads, arrow heads, and pottery sherds were regularly uncovered and collected by residents during the 1960s and 1970s just under the surface of the earth in private property there.^{[citation needed]}

Gallery

• 

  "Room D", a 1955 excavation by Arizona State University below the main Mesa Grande mound.

• 

  A member of the Southwest Archaeology Team excavates matrix materials from a test pit.

• 

  A view of test pits from Station 6 of the north end of the mound.

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See also

• Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
• Oasisamerica cultures

References

Further reading

• Groff, Garin (April 22, 2012), "Mesa Grande ruins to open visitors center this fall", East Valley Tribune, retrieved 2012-11-02 
• Sakal, Mike (September 5, 2012), "Officials break ground on long-awaited Mesa Grande Visitors Center", East Valley Tribune, retrieved 2012-11-02 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mesa Grande.

• Arizona Museum of Natural History: Mesa Grande

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