Pueblo Grande Museum, Phoenix, United States

Pueblo Grande Ruin and Irrigation Sites are pre-Columbian archaeological sites and ruins, located in Phoenix, Arizona. It includes a historic platform mound and irrigation canals. The city manages the sites as the Pueblo Grande Museum Archaeological Park.

Pueblo Grande Museum is located on a 1,500 year old archaeological site left by the Hohokam culture located just minutes from downtown Phoenix next to Sky Harbor International Airport. This National Historic Landmark and Phoenix Point of Pride has been a part of the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department since 1929, and is the largest preserved archaeological site within Phoenix. Easily accessible by the Sky Train and the Light Rail, the museum is open 7 days a week October through April, and closed Sundays and Mondays, May through September.

A fully accessible 2/3 mile trail takes you through a prehistoric Hohokam archaeological village site with a partially excavated platform mound, ballcourt, and replicated prehistoric houses. There are three galleries to visit while at the Museum. The main gallery displays artifacts of the Hohokam and discusses the Pueblo Grande village site. The children’s hands-on gallery has activities to help kids learn about the science of archaeology. And the changing gallery features exhibits on various topics from archaeology, southwest cultures, and Arizona history. For authentic Native American gifts, art, and jewelry, visit our Museum Store.

The site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964.

It consists of two parts, that were on adjacent properties, and both associated with the same history. They were listed separately in the National Register of Historic Places as Pueblo Grande Ruin and Hohokam-Pima Irrigation Sites on the October 15, 1966 date when all National Historic Landmark sites were administratively listed.

Museum Collections

Pueblo Grande Museum is an archaeological site museum and also serves as the archaeological repository for the City of Phoenix. Objects and documents in the Museum’s collection are public trust property, held and cared for by the museum, and used for the benefit of our visitors, researchers and the citizens of Phoenix. The objects and information in the Museum’s collection are used to create educational programs and exhibits. Pueblo Grande Museum also makes its archival and object collections available to researchers and educators.

Object Collections

At Pueblo Grande Museum object collections can be divided into two broad categories.

1. Our Archaeological collections contain artifacts from the site of Pueblo Grande as well as objects from over 375 historic and prehistoric sites within the City of Phoenix. The strength of our archaeological collections is Hohokam culture and materials from the Original Phoenix Townsite.

2. Our Historic and Contemporary collections include objects from American Indian tribes of the southwestern United States. The strength of this part of the collection is Maricopa pottery. The Museum has a small collection of original art.

Documentary Collections

Pueblo Grande Museum’s documentary collections are maintained in its archive. The archive contains unique original records that provide contextual information about the museum’s collections. Archaeological repository project records dominate the museum’s documentary collections and include field notes, logs, sketches, maps, and analysis data. The archive also contains documents about the museum’s non-archaeological and ethnographic holdings, as well as records related to the museum’s institutional and administrative history.

The photographic archives at Pueblo Grande Museum contain over 40,000 images. The majority of the photos document archaeological excavations in the City of Phoenix, including some images of early excavations at the Pueblo Grande site. The Museum also has photographs documenting the history of the Museum as well as ethnographic images of southwestern American Indian people.

Online Collections

Pueblo Grande Museum currently has four collections available online as a Contributing Institution for the Arizona Memory Project which, “provides access to the wealth of primary sources in Arizona libraries, archives, museums and other cultural institutions.” The Museum is also a Google Cultural Institute partner with an online exhibit The Hohokam: The Land & the People – Ancient Artisans of the Sonoran Desert and over 60 artifacts available for viewing from the Museums’ collection.