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Let's try to locate them in history on this early map of the Hohokam irrigation canals here in The Rio Salado Valley - every one of them need a Portal to The Past to remind us of the people and cultures who lived on these lands for millennia and centuries before the arrival of 'The Pioneers' sent on a mission from Salt Lake City to colonize Arizona
One account in a 1991 edition of a book called "Our Town" stated there were 300 Mormon settlers and 5,000 Papago Indians already living here.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE MAP DETAILS:
You can see
- Pueblo Moroni at middle left with many small reservoirs and temples
- Pueblo Nephi: that was one of the first names Mormon settlers wanted to call Mesa
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Here's an enlargement of the Omar-Turney Hohokam Canals Map that clearly documents and provides evidence of two cultures - both the Spanish and First Peoples Papago, who were here on the land for centuries before 'The Pioneers' arrived on their territory in the mid-!850's.
The 'Pre-Historic' map clearly shows Spanish place-names "Pueblo", "Plaza" - already existing and designated place names for established towns or settlements here in Rio Salado Valley.
The all have names from The Book of Mormon appended to them, like Lehi and Moroni and Nephi
