Mesa Grande Cultural Park

This place is really cool! I brought some 3rd grade kids here for a Fieldtrip. They were gracious enough to invite the drivers in to tour around. Lots of cool Indian artifacts and history. The tour guides were very helpful in what they explained to the kids and adults. I learned some new info for sure.

Went to the Mesa Grande Ruins a couple of days back with my mother. It was interesting. I was surprised that the park was only formed in 2013. That is perhaps why I did not see it earlier. This shows you that there are many older civilizations that once inhabited what is now metro Phoenix. This is particularly a Hohokam ruin.One recommendation would be to make yourself more visible to the general public. It is awfully quiet where you are located, and not that much of foot traffic. I do not know how, but this place needs more visibility.

I can't believe I didn't have to travel all around the world to see an excavation of our history! There are only a few small areas that have been excavated but I was truly in awe. What made it even more special and such an unforgettable experience was Sarah, who worked at the front desk. She gave us so much history and information. Providing so much love and enthusiasm with every story she told. Such a unique experience.

The history of the Phoenix area is often overshadowed by the modern skyline and expanding population. With a little exploring or luck, you can find the rich history of our great state. I found the Mesa Grande Cultural Park while on a walk during my lunchbreak and after walking around the ancient Hohokam ruin, I wished my break was longer. Walking around the mound is quiet and the short path is dotted with signs explaining the discovery and theories of the Hohokam mound's purpose. The visitor's center displays artifacts discovered around the Phoenix area and provide a glimpse into the lives of the Hohokam people. What tied my experience together was Sarah, the staff member I met there. Her knowledge of the park and the Hohokam people was impressive, but it was her passion for the preservation of the native people's history that made my visit memorable. My personal favorite piece on display was a floor cut out tucked in the corner of the center. Both adult and children sized footprints are cemented into the slab. Out of all the tools and pottery on display, these prints express more of the social community and, importantly, the humanity of the Hohokam people. I had a great experience and I will visit again, soon.

This is a treasure located in one of the older neighborhoods in Mesa, AZ. When i first moved to mesa in 1966 this area was just a big mound that some of my Indian friends from school said was a special place. We used to hike over it dig for cool treasures nothing seemed real special about it until years later folks discover what the locals were telling them ll those years, there is special history here! The Hohokam, the ancestors of the Akimel O'odham (Pima), constructed the Mesa Grande temple mound. With walls made from "caliche," the mound is longer and wider than a modern football field and is 27 feet high. Construction of the mound began by AD 1100 and continued to at least AD 1400. A large adobe wall encloses the mound and a large plaza in front of the mound. In one corner of the site, volunteers from the Arizona Museum of Natural History constructed a replica of a Hohokam ballcourt, an open-air structure where ballgames were played using a rubber ball made from a local plant. The City of Mesa purchased the Mesa Grande ruins in the 1980s to preserve Mesa's premier cultural treasure and to open it to the public as an educational and recreational facility. Open from mid-October to mid-May. There is a large fence around it now to protect it. Years ago stupid folks would ride dirt bikes over this special place. Just to think my Pima friend, Eddie Ochoa was the one who told me there was a mystery here. I encourage anyone in the area to come by when its open or just walk around and look inside now and you will be amazed that it is preserved on the edge of a subdivision!

This is a place you won't find unless you are paying attention. It's hidden in a neighborhood and it's easy to miss out on this historical site. It's closed during summer but we got in the week before they closed down. They open back up in the fall so add it to your list of places to go. It only takes an hour or two to walk through the site and read about the history that was here long before us. It's amazing to see how they found trade to be strong here. As they had the mounds built in alignment with the astrology and it's really amazing to see in person. It's an amazing spot and I hope to help more people find it!

Sarah was incredibly informative about the Mesa Grande Cultural Park. I learned about the history of the Hohokam and the mound! The area has an old Temple, a reproduction of a ball pit (because the original is actually buried under the Banner Facility to the NorthEast. The ruins are very interesting to see. It is worth coming for a quick afternoon to learn about he history of the area!