Masonry Magazine December 1989 Page. 43
Valley Of The Sun: How It All Began
Although Phoenix is now a modern metropolitan city, it has not forgotten its past, as is evident from its Southwestern architecture and the Indian cultural influences that are interwoven with the sophisticated lifestyle of modern-day Phoenicians.
The earliest inhabitants known to Phoenix were the Hohokam Indians, who thrived here until about 1400 A.D. There is no record of the Hohokam after that, although they are believed to be ancestors of the Pima Indian. In the Pima language, "Hohokam" means "those who have gone."
For almost 25,000 years Indians were the exclusive inhabitants of Arizona. Archeological evidence leads to the existence of three major tribal groups: the Anasazi of the state's northern plateau highlands; the Mogollon People of the northeastern and eastern mountain belt; and the Hohokam.
In the mid 1500s, the Spanish Conquistadors invaded Arizona, searching for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola. Although they found little gold, they introduced the Indians to cattle and horse raising and a variety of new agricultural crops and techniques.
Until the mid 1850s, the Indian tribes accepted the few miners, traders and farmers who settled in Arizona. As the number of white men grew, however, the Indian hunters and raiders of the mountains and plateaus, the Apache, Navajo, Yavapai, Hualapai and Paiute tribes, resented the encroachment on their land, and battles broke out.
The military was called in, and eventually the tribes were confined to special government reservations. The ensuing decades were an ordeal for Arizona's Indians, but they survived them with the same diligence that enabled their ancestors to thrive in Arizona.
The present city of Phoenix originated in 1860 as a small settlement on the bank's of the Salt River. One of the city's first settlers gave Phoenix its name, predicting that a great city would arise from the ancient Hohokam ruins like the legendary phoenix bird that was said to have risen from its own ashes. Mythology suggested the Phoenix bird was immortal, rising from its ashes every 500 years.
As Phoenix still continues to grow, it is known today as the tenth largest city in the nation with an estimated population of 1.9 million in the metropolitan area.
The mysterious and exotic Saguaro Cactus (pronounced Sah-war-oh) grows to heights of 40 feet and can thrive for as long as five years without water. Fortunately the Valley is blessed with light showers in August and intermittent sprinkles throughout the winter months that allow the Saguaro and other Sonoran flora and fauna to thrive.
Today there are 23 Indian reservations in Arizona, more than in any other state. These reservations are home to an estimated 50,000 Indians from 17 different tribes.
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MASONRY-NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 1989 43