The prehistoric Hohokam people lived in central and southern Arizona from about AD 1 to 1450. They were expert farmers, growing crops such as corn, beans, squash and cotton. They used adobe to construct their towns, often centered around platform mounds and ballcourts, and engineered hundreds of miles of canals to irrigate their fields. Distinguished by their red-on-buff pottery, the Hohokam wove beautiful textiles and made jewelry from shell obtained from the Gulf of California. Drought, floods and, perhaps, internal strife, forced the Hohokam to abandon the
Salt River Valley in the 15th century, they found Hohokam towns in ruins. However, they also found thriving villages of Akimel O'odham (Pima) natives, who claim to be descendants of the Hohokam. The Museum and Cultural Park is dedicated to increasing knowledge and understanding about the peoples of the Southwest, past and present. There are tours and workshops that feature "hands-on" educational activities.
