To the Pueblo Grande museum, that is.

A long time ago (about 1500 years ago, to be exact) in a place far far away (well, ok, now it’s nestled right between the airport, a freeway, & a canal) there was a thriving community of people. They built houses, sports facilities, religious buildings, observatories, and canals. They farmed and designed artwork & functional objects. They lived, laughed, worked and played.

Then they disappeared.

But they left behind evidenece of their existence. You can see the ruins that are left of the Hohokam society (pronounced ho-ho-kam) at the Pueblo Grande museum in Phoenix. It’s cool inside the museum itself, but hot outside among the ruins, so be sure to bring an umbrella for shade, and drink plenty of water.

I stood outside among the ruins last Sunday afternoon, at the hottest time of the day and the hottest time of the year, and imagined myself back 1500 years ago. It probably wouldn’t have been quite so hot then (without pavement creating a heat island), but I imagined that the canal would still have been flowing, although its sides wouldn’t have been lined with concrete. It would have been a lot quieter, without the airplanes landing every minute or so and the drone of the cars rushing by on the HoHoKam Expressway a half block away. But I still would have heard the locusts buzzing, and the sounds of children laughing. And I still would have smelled the desert — the scent of which I could barely sense — and longed to crawl under the shade of the mesquite tree. It’s an easy trip back in time. Let your imagination run wild.

When and where?
It’s open every day of the week. (Free on Sundays, and admission $2 for adults and $1 for children otherwise.) It’s located on the southeast corner of 44th Street and Washington at 4619 E. Washington St, Phoenix. (Just north of Sky Harbor airport and just west of the SR 143 (Hohokam Expressway).

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