With a variety of indoor and outdoor exhibits, this Phoenix, Arizona attraction offers something for everyone. Inside three galleries explore the Hohokam peoples who populated the area from A.D. 450 to 1450 and the archaeological methods used to learn about these ancient farmers of the Salt and Gila River Valleys. The Museum’s Outdoor Ruin Trail takes you through a prehistoric Hohokam archaeological village site that features a partially excavated platform mound, ballcourt and replicated prehistoric houses. Be sure to stop by the Museum Store, carrying American Indian Art.
Pueblo Grande Museum
Main Gallery
The Museum’s Main Gallery explores Hohokam agriculture, architecture and arts. As you make your way through the gallery, learn about the Hohokam canal system which inspired the design of today’s canal system. Red-on-buff pottery, tools and shell stone jewelry that once belonged to the Hohokam is displayed throughout. Natural desert materials surround murals of the desert and riparian landscapes as they might have looked during the days the Hohokam occupied the land.
Children’s Gallery
Everyone can explore archaeology in the Children’s Gallery. Gaze up at the photo-mural that illustrates various aspects of archaeological field work. Hands-on displays will let you explore how archaeologists study clues from ancient and historic sites.
Changing Gallery
Pueblo Grande Museum also houses a Changing Gallery. Rotating exhibits that support the Museum’s overall theme are featured throughout the year. Examples of past exhibits include Arizona Ghost Towns: The Photography of Kurt Wenner and Supply and Demand: Hohokam Pottery Production.
Outdoor Ruin Trail
The Museum’s two-thirds of a mile Outdoor Ruin Trail takes you through a prehistoric Hohokam archaeological village site that features a partially excavated platform mound, ballcourt and replicated prehistoric houses. Along the trail you will see a variety of native plants, walk-in replicated dwellings and an interpretive agricultural garden.
The Ballcourt
Ballcourts like the one found along the Outdoor Ruin Trail are thought to have been the center of village life at one time. These oval-shaped depressions in the ground, surrounded by earthen embankments or mounds of dirt would have offered dozens of spectators the opportunity to watch what was happening in the court. Archaeologists cannot be certain what the ballgame looked like or that it was a ballgame at all. Some evidence suggests ballcourts were associated with markets or trade relationships.
The Platform Mound
When 1500s explorers first came to the Salt River Valley they found the Hohokam villages in ruins. Among the ruins were huge mounds of earth and rock. Artificial platform mounds such as these were built by the Hohokam during the Classic Period and became the focus of the village after the Hohokam stopped using ballcourts. While at one time there were over 40 platform mounds in the Salt River Valley, today Pueblo Grande Museum’s Platform Mound is one of the three remaining in the area.
The Adobe Compound
Before falling into ruin, adobe structures in the Salt River Valley contained one large room. In many instances, several rooms were built side-by-side and were arranged within compounds, like a small apartment complex. Small hearths were located in the floor for heat and light. The Hohokam peoples would have slept and kept their possessions in compounds such as these.
The Pithouses
Pithouses, like the remains of the Pithouse along the Outdoor Ruin Trail, were regularly arranged in groups around an open central courtyard area, called a pithouse cluster. Residents of the pithouse cluster are thought to have been related to one another and clusters may have been inhabited by extended families.
The Agricultural Garden
When the Hohokam peoples first settled in the area, the Salt River ran year round. Settlers constructed miles of canals, so that the Salt River water could irrigate their fields of corn, beans, squash and cotton. The Hohokam peoples most likely relied on manual labor and their domesticated dogs to protect their crops from birds and small rodents.
Be sure to stop by the Museum Store, located in Pueblo Grande Museum. Original American Indian Art including baskets, jewelry, pottery, paintings, kachina dolls and an extensive collection of books on archaeology are available to purchase.
Travel Tips
- Pueblo Grande Museum and the Outdoor Ruin Trail are ADA compliant. Wheelchairs are available for use.
- Food and drinks are available from vending machines at the Museum.