Scientists study Ariz. Hohokam era site

An archaeological site containing the remains of a Hohokam settlement dates back to a rarely explored Hohokam era, according to recent dating.

The settlement in Queen Creek, just southeast of Phoenix, has preliminarily been dated between 1400 and 1450, which could make it one of the latest settlements of the mysterious desert dwellers ever identified.

Hohokams are believed to have inhabited the Sonoran Desert between 500 and 1450 before they abruptly disappeared.

But while scholars believe the population of Hohokam declined after 1350 or so, "we seem to have a pretty thriving location" in Queen Creek, said Banks Leonard, senior project director for Soil Systems Inc., a Phoenix archaeology company. "Nonetheless, it was abandoned, too, eventually."