The Hokoham forged a vibrant civilization in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, before mysteriously disappearing sometime after 1450. For more than 1,300 years they lived in a city, the ruins of which are now known as the Pueblo Grande.
The historic metropolis was home to around 1,000 residents at any given time. The city even featured Mesoamerican ball courts, similar to those made famous by the Mayan.
In order to farm in the desert they also developed the longest prehistoric irrigation system known in North America – the ruins of which are what modern Phoenix’s canal system is built atop.
– Carlisle Willard, The Arizona 100