[Source: Jacqueline A. Soule, Explorer News] -- Last week Arizona celebrated a birthday. On Feb. 14, it celebrated becoming the 48th state in the United States. Accepted in 1912, Arizona isn’t even 100 years old yet. Ironic that Tucson is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the nation. It is close to 4,000 years old. Tucson’s age is based on agricultural remains such as canals, harvesting tools and the like. In her long history, Tucson has had a number of nations claim her, all leaving a mark in one way or another. In some cases, the culture from here has been exported to the rest of the world. One good example of cultural export is our agriculture. Take the pepper plant. Genetic testing indicates that all peppers are descendants of the blazingly hot wild chiltepene that grows abundantly in the canyons south of town. These peppers were collected by the locals and traded with the ancient traders who spent their lives walking the trade routes. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
