Tucson was probably first visited by
Paleo-Indians, known to have been in southern Arizona by about 12,000 years
ago. Recent archaeological excavations near the Santa Cruz River have located a
village site dating from 2100 BC. The floodplain of the Santa Cruz River was
extensively farmed during the Early Agricultural period, circa 1200 BC to AD
150. These people constructed irrigation canals and grew corn, beans, and other
crops while gathering wild plants and hunting animals. The Early Ceramic period
occupation of Tucson saw the first extensive use of pottery vessels for cooking
and storage. The
