The city of Tempe, Arizona, is planning to resume work on a development project that was paused in 2018 after excavators found remnants of a 1,000-year-old (or more) civilization.
Construction of a site in downtown Tempe is set to resume in 2024, despite being the location of a stunning archaeological discovery in 2018, according to 12News. While trying to make improvements to a section of road, the project workers stumbled upon an ancient Native American site that dates back at least 1,000 or more years.
The site revealed remnants of a highly skilled civilization who irrigated their land with water from the Salt River, enabling them to survive for centuries in the same region, the outlet continued. “The investigation found evidence that village residents farmed maize, cotton, and squash; lived in comfortable homes with plaster floors; and enjoyed the benefits of trade in local, edible food products that could be stored,” a report on the site stated.
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Also unearthed at the site was a multi-story structure dating back to the 14th century. “Only six other examples of this type of building have been identified in the Phoenix Basin, most famously the multi-story buildings preserved at Casa Grande National Monument in Coolidge,” the report notes. (RELATED: Ancient Large-Scale Mining Discovery Near Lake Superior Starts To Rewrite Native American History)
Residents of the village farmed the region until around 1450 A.D. Then, in the 1800s, a railroad construction crew buried the village from site until its rediscovery. Four Southern Tribes of Arizona have been brought in to ensure the new street design preserves their history, and celebrates the discovery.