Mesa Grande Cultural Park

Ancient Arizona Ruins

Ancient Arizonan Ruins (Mesa Grande Cultural Park: 1000 N Date, Mesa, AZ 85201)

The Mesa Grande Cultural Park is a perfect activity for a winter weekend in Mesa. I took advantage of the nice weather in December to visit Mesa Grande, the site of an ancient Hohokam mound. I opted for a self-guided tour, but there was a group of kids there for a field trip who were being lead around by some of the park officials. The main attraction is the large plaza in front of the mound, encased by walls of adobe. The mound itself is fairly small, and it only takes a few minutes to walk around the perimeter. Luckily, there were informational signs posted every few feet that told the story of the discovery of the mound. I was surprised to find out that this park had only been open since 2013—the city had owned the land since the 1980s, but little had been done with it.

Hidden Architectural Ruins in Mesa Not Forgotten

Even though the original archaeological dig was completed in 1904, the site stood empty for over a century! It’s crazy to me that this incredible glimpse into the past was largely ignored as the city grew around it. Today, it sits between the home of Mesa Country Club’s golf course and a residential subdivision.  If you weren’t looking for it, there’s no way you would find it, and yet it contains the most extensive preservation of Indian culture in the area. The mound isn’t very impressive to a modern viewer like me, but apparently it was quite a sight for the ancient inhabitants of the area, who built an entire village around the site. What was most impressive to me was the reconstructed ballcourt, but I will be checking out the Arizona Museum of Natural History as well!

I had no idea that the Hohokam people played sports very similar to our modern football and soccer. They used rubber balls made from local plants and played in an open-air structure about the size of a soccer field. I learned that this court wasn’t original, but rather reconstructed from another court that was developed over by the Banner Health Corporate Center right next door.

After spending about an hour outside among the ruins, I checked out the visitors center, an indoor center on the site. Here, there’s home to a cool collection of Indian artifact from the surrounding area- pottery, arrow heads, and even axes! The park guides working in the visitors center were friendly and helpful, and pointed out to me some of the more interesting artifacts in the small exhibit. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any food on site, so I had to cut my trip short to make time for lunch. All in all, the Mesa Grande was a worthwhile visit!