Who Lived in The Area of Mesa in The Distant Past

Mesa is the most populous city in the state of Arizona. It is home to over half a million people. And do you know who lived in that area before the settlers arrived? If you don’t know, look at Mesa Arizona history information that will be interesting to you.

According to historians, 2000 years ago, the Hohokam people lived in the area of the city of Mesa. They were a very advanced and intelligent people, as evidenced by the irrigation system they built. At that time, there was no mechanization, so all work was done manually. The size of the main canals is really impressive because they reach a width of up to 27 meters and a depth of up to 3 meters. Larger and smaller canals stretched as much as 26 kilometers across the desert, enabling 110,000 hectares of desert irrigation and turning it into a fertile land. Some channels are still used today.

Why the Hohokam people disappeared is still a mystery to this day, but after their departure there is no evidence that anyone lived in this area. Only at the end of the 19th century, the American army moved the Apache tribe near present-day Mesa, so they lived there for a while.

Today’s place began to emerge in 1877 when Mormons began to settle in this area. In 1878, the town of Mesa was officially registered and had an area of 2.6 km2. Soon the first school was opened, just as everything needed for living in a settlement was opened.

If you want to know a lot more historical facts about Mesa, take a look at Mesa Arizona history and explore everything that interests you.