[Source: Erica Meltzer, Arizona Daily Star] -- A pending land swap could save a significant archaeological site that was threatened by development when Pima County was outbid at an auction. But neighbors of the 5-acre parcel the county is likely trading away are disappointed because they were eyeing the site for a park and overflow parking for Lulu Walker Elementary School. Los Morteros, near North Silverbell Road and West Linda Vista Boulevard, at the northern end of the Tucson Mountains, was occupied by the Hohokam between A.D. 850 and 1300.
Pima County already owns the ball-court site that was the focal point of the surrounding villages, but many other villages in the Los Morteros site now lie under new housing. In addition to the Hohokam villages, the area once was a De Anza trail stop and the site of a Butterfield stage stop.
In 2004, voters approved $1 million in bonds to buy land associated with Los Morteros. But County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said that after the Board of Supervisors approved spending up to $500,000 for a 10-acre piece of the site last year, it was outbid by Tucson gastroenterologist Sam Moussa, who paid $583,000. Moussa also bought an adjoining 14.5-acre parcel for $590,000, which is also part of a 40-acre area the county is investigating. Ball-court sites "are few and far between across the state. It's very important because it had a sizable community around it," said John Madsen, associate curator of archaeology at the Arizona State Museum. "In the 1980s, there were lots of sites. At this time, it's all housing." [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
