ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND ANCIENT CANAL
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[ July 12th 2005 ]

American archaeologists have unearthed a series of buried arteries thought to be one of the largest integrated canal systems the Hohokam Indians ever built in the Phoenix area. According to Associated Press, twenty Hohokam canals, uncovered during an ongoing archaeological survey of the 240-acre site, have been found since October. The largest measures 45 feet wide and 16 feet deep.

"They are the size of canals in Phoenix today, but these were done with digging sticks and baskets," said Tom Wilson, an archaeologist and director of the Mesa Southwest Museum. "There are some extraordinary things there, and it's an important finding and cultural asset for the whole state in terms of what it tells us."

Historians believe the Hohokam lived in central and southern Arizona for about 1,500 years, sometime between 300 B.C. and A.D. 1400. They were a largely agricultural community known for their sophisticated canal systems, AP reports.