The Hohokam Time Period
300 BC - 1200 AD
The Hohokam civilization of south central Arizona was an ancient
culture with many similarities to the Central Mexican civilizations. The
Hohokam were either descendants of peoples that moved north from
Mexico or a group of locals that eventually
banded together. The Hohokam traded heavily with neighboring tribes.
Goods from the Hopis, Sinagua, and Aztecs have been found at
Hohokam excavation sites. Well into their development, the Hohokam
began constructing extensive irrigation systems for which they are
well noted. Sunken ritual ball courts and pyramidal structures similar
to the Aztec's have been unearthed at Hohokam archaeological sites.
These tend to suggest that the Hohokam either descended from the
Aztecs or had extensive trade and religious relationships with the
more southerly Indians. It is widely accepted that the Hohokam are
ancestors of the modern Pima and Tohono O'Odham (Papago) tribes
that live on reservations in the Phoenix, Arizona area.
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