Archeology and baseball in Mesa

Mesa Grande Cultural Park, our first stop, was related to the ancient Hohokam, ancestors of today's O'odham people. They built and used the Mesa Grande platform mound between AD 1100 and 1450 as the public and ceremonial center for one of the largest Hohokam villages in the Salt River Valley.
The Hohokam were the only cultural group in prehistoric North America to rely on massive canal systems, irrigating huge fields of corn, beans and squash. Mesa Grande was one of the two largest mounds of the Hohokam. Its sister mound, Pueblo Grande, is nearby the City of Phoenix.

After our archeological excursion, we still watched the Chicago Cubs' spring training for a while (wondering about all the retired people gathering there and talking shop), and, Peter got his cap, of course.

Via Old Scottsdale (pics)


we arrived to Prescott late afternoon.