Arizona History
Early History Arizona's earliest inhabitants are thought to have first arrived at around 25,000 B.C. The next know culture, the Hohokam, were primarily pit dwellers who established irrigation systems for their farming needs. The ornate and extensive cliff dwellings built during a 200 year span in the 11th century A.D. by the Pueblo people still stand today. The emergence of the Apache and Navajo in the area occurred from their migration from Canada in 1300 A.D. and where they still reside to this day.
Noted as the most probable initial Spanish explorer to traverse Arizona was Cabeza de Vaca in 1536 A.D., followed by Franciscan friar Marcos de Niza in 1539, and Francisco Vásquez de Coronado. Coronado's expeditionary goal was to find the seven cities of gold. While not successfull in finding gold they were able to explore as far as the Grand Canyon. The missions of Guevavi and Tumacacori were founded in 1692 and 1696 by a Jesuit Father Eusebio Kino. Kino also funded Tumacacori in 1696, and San Xavier del Bac in 1700. Aside from their establishing missions and exploring the region the Spanish Empire took the land from the Jesuits in 1767. Fort Tuscon was built 1775 by the Spanish. The Mexican army seized the Arizona region from the Spanish during the Mexican war of independence that ended in 1821. As a result of the Mexican War in 1848 a sizable portion of the Arizona territory became part of the U.S. with the southern portion of the territory added in 1853 via the Gadsden Purchase.
