Anasazi (noun): The earliest Anasazi peoples felt the currents of change during the first half of the first millennium and began to turn away from the nomadism of the ancient hunting and gathering life, the seasonal rounds timed to the movement of game and the ripening of plants, the limitations of the burdens they could carry on their backs. They began living in small hamlets, and took up agriculture. Over time, they acquired more possessions, stored food, crafted pottery, adopted the bow and arrow, and domesticated dogs and turkeys. They still hunted and gathered as a complement to cultivated corn, beans and squash. The region spanned northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado—a land of forested mountain ranges, stream-dissected mesas, arid grasslands and occasional river bottoms. In the first half of their history, the Anasazi distinguished themselves primarily through the artistry of their basketry, which they crafted from plant fibers. In the second half, they left their mark on a much grander scale, through the construction of perhaps the most stunning prehistoric communities in the United States. The Anasazi would prove be resourceful, adaptable and, ultimately, the most enduring of the Pueblo cultures.
Arizona Pinstriping (noun): Scratches on the side of your vehicle (or rental car) that indicate you've been bushwacking through the cacti.
Cactus League (noun): What started with an agreement between owners of two teams, the Cleveland Indians and the New York Giants, the Arizona Cactus League was born in 1946. Since, it has grown to twelve teams, ten stadiums, 1.3 million in attendance, and at least three more teams and two new stadiums by 2010. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies currently play in Tucson, while the Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Anaheim Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A's, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers play in the many growing suburbs around Phoenix. The Cincinnati Reds join and the Cleveland Indians rejoin the league in 2009.
The Cactus League is unique because there are 8 stadiums all within a 35 mile radius, with 2 more located in Tucson (about a 90 minute drive from Phoenix). A baseball fan can pick from up to 7 different games on a single day, all within driving distance.
Canyon de Chelly (dee-Shay) (noun): The Canyon de Chelly National Monument was established in 1931, as a unit of the National Park Service and is located in northeastern Arizona, and is entirely within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. The monument covers 131 square miles (339 km) and encompasses the floors and rims of the three major canyons: de Chelly, del Muerto, and Monument. These canyons were cut by streams with headwaters in the Chuska Mountains just to the east of the canyon. White House Ruin and Spider Rock are the two most popular of the many landmarks and ruins.
Cougar (noun): An affluent middle-aged female typically from the east side of Phoenix (Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills) who prowls the local clubs looking exclusively for younger men to mate with. Money or gifts may or may not be exchanged.
Flood Plain (noun): Flood Plains occur when the washes can’t handle the rain run off or the area does not get enough rain on a regular basis to develop washes. The rain water pools in the designated flood plain area. Normally the water depth is inches, but it can stand on the ground for several days. You can build on a flood plain; however, it requires a special foundation and will result in increased insurance rates. Phoenix area flood plain maps are available online at www.fcd.maricopa.gov. It is critical to pull up the flood plain maps and check the property’s status prior to submitting a contract.
Hohokam (noun): The Hohokam tradition, which spanned some 1450 years – from the first millennium to A.D. 1450 – seems to have materialized from a void and vanished into darkness. In between, they raised new standards in artistry, innovation and craftsmanship. They occupied a geologically and ecologically diverse region which at its maximum, their range extended from the basin and range and the low desert country of northern Sonora Mexico and southern Arizona northward up the famed Mogollon Rim escarpment of the Colorado Plateau’s southwestern edge. For some unknown reason, the winds of change, which stimulated population concentrations, new construction, architecture and agricultural endeavors, signaled the twilight of the Hohokam tradition. Between A.D. 1400 and 1450, the Hohokam, like many puebloan peoples across the Southwest, abandoned their communities. Some apparently dispersed into neighboring regions, perhaps to surviving or to newly founded pueblos. Stragglers may have remained behind, diminished in material wealth, technology and artisanship, but giving rise to the Pima and Papago peoples who greeted the Spanish in the 16th century. In their centuries in the desert, the Hohokam left their signature in terms of their extensive and sophisticated irrigation systems, and their extraordinary artisanship.
Four American Indian tribes today - the Salt River Pima-Maricopa, the Ak-Chin, the Gila River and the Tohono O'odham trace their ancestry back to the Hohokam, who disappeared from the Southwest area in the 15th century.
Mogollon (Muggy-Own) (noun): A Native American culture flourishing from the 2nd century B.C. to the 13th century A.D. in southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico, especially noted for its development of pottery.
(noun): An escarpment which is the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau. The Payson, AZ region is known as the 'Mogollon Rim'.
Monsoon (noun): In Arizona and other regions of the world, a monsoon, derived from an Arabic term, a season of high temperatures, high winds, and high moisture, resulting in potentially deadly weather. The Arizona monsoon officially begins after the third consecutive day of dew point temperatures above 55 degrees. On average this occurs around July 7 with the monsoon continuing for the next two months resulting in about 2-1/2" of rain, about 1/3 of the yearly rainfall. Arizona's monsoon varies in starting date, duration, and intensity. Monsoon storms range from minor dust storms to violent thunderstorms, but can spawn tornadoes, though rare. Typically, Arizona monsoon storms start with heavy winds sometimes resulting in a visible wall of dust hundreds of feet high moving across the Valley. These dust storms are normally accompanied by frequent thunder and lightning often leading to heavy downpours.
Monsoon Season Rainfall (From National Weather Service, Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport):
Wettest (1984): 9.56"
Driest (1924): 0.35"
Average year: 2.77"
2007: 0.74"
2008: 5.70"
Petroglyph (noun): Pecked rock 'art'; Images are scratches or indentations into the surface of the rock.
Pictograph (noun): Painted rock 'art'; Images are painted onto the surface of the rock. These types of images are most prone to natural fading, and the patina which gradually covers them, contributing to their fading, is referred to as 'desert varnish'. Pollution contributes to the build-up of desert varnish.
Saguaro (Sue-wärô) (noun): A prominent cactus of the southwest United States and northern Mexico (Sonoran Desert), having ribbed upward-curving branches, white funnel-shaped flowers, and edible red fruit. Large, candelabra-shaped, branched cactus, very slow-growing at first, yet mature saguaros may eventually reach 50 ft (15 m) in height. They bloom for the first time when 50–75 years old. They may die at 150–200 years (at a weight of up to 10 tons, or 9,000 kg), most commonly by being uprooted by wind or washouts. Shallow, wide-ranging roots gather moisture from a large area of desert to support the weighty top growth. The white, night-blooming flowers, which remain open into the next day, are the Arizona state flower. The red fruits have been an important food of American Indians.
Sinagua (Seen-aug-wäh) (noun):
This word is a contraction of the Spanish words "sin agua," or, "without water," an allusion to the arid country in which the tradition arose. Between the 6th and the 15th centuries, the Sinagua people occupied the region which encompasses the ponderosa and pinyon/juniper forests and the grasslands and desert scrub country from the vicinity of Arizona’s Sunset Crater volcano southwestward to the state’s Verde River. They practiced a rudimentary flood plain agriculture in the early centuries, irrigating their farm plots with systems of check dams and irrigation ditches. They supplemented their crops with hunting and gathering. Their demise coincides with the continual eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano from 1064 to 1067.Slot Canyon (noun): A slot canyon is a narrow canyon, most often located in arid climates, and formed by the wear of water rushing through rock. A slot canyon is significantly deeper than it is wide. Some slot canyons can measure less than one metre (3 ft) across at the top but drop more than 30 m (100 ft) to the floor of the canyon. Most slot canyons are formed in sandstone or limestone rock, although slot canyons in other rock types such as granite and basalt are possible. Even in sandstone and limestone, only a very small number of creeks will form slot canyons. (Click for AZ slot canyons)
Tequileros (noun): This expression translates to 'Agave Farmer'. The agave plants grown for Tequila production, Agave Tequilana, take 5 to 9 years to grow to maturity. Once harvested, the liquid is aged for three days (white variety) to two years (dark variety). Some tequila is 100% agave extracts, but others may contain corn syrup or other sweeteners. Other varieties of agave may take up to 100 years to mature (aka 'Century Plants'), and are not used for Tequila.
Vortex (noun): Most often associated with Sedona, vortexes are created, not by wind or water, but from spiraling spiritual energy. The vortexes of Sedona are named because they are believed to be spiritual locations where the energy is right to facilitate prayer, mediation and healing. Vortex sites are believed to be locations having energy flow that exists on multiple dimensions. The energy of the vortexes interacts with a person’s inner self. It is not easily explained, and therefore must be experienced.
Here is a sampling of chile pepper varieties, and many are available locally in Phoenix and throughout the Southwest:
• Jalapeño: One of the most widely used, these 2-inch-long, tapered hot peppers often have slight cracks at the stem ends. Most often, they are available at the mature green stage, but occasionally in bright red. They range from moderately hot to hot. This all-purpose pepper holds up well for roasting and frying and is good in fresh salsas.
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• Pasilla: Also known as chile negro, this dried chile is dark raisin brown, wrinkled, elongated and tapered. Fresh, it measures about 5 to 6 inches long and 1 to 1 1/2 inches across. A thin-fleshed chile, it has berry and grape tones and is used in mole and other traditional sauces.
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• Guajillo: This chile can be large or small, smooth or wrinkled, green or red. It's also available dried. When dried, it's called mirasol. This chile spices up extremely hot salsas, stews, escabeche, yellow mole and sauces.
• Serrano: These small, torpedo-shaped peppers are very hot. They are considered one of the best peppers for fresh salsa, especially pico de gallo. (pron. peek-o-d-guy-oh)
• Tomatillo: Technically a fruit but often used as a chile. Except for the thin, parchment skin, it resembles a small, green tomato in size and shape. Used most often when semisoft and green, the somewhat "sweet and sour" flavor of the tomatillo can be enjoyed raw or cooked. It's the necessary ingredient for salsa verde.
• Arbol: The name is Spanish for "tree." Small and hot, these chiles add flavor to soups, sauces and stews.
• Poblano: A dark forest green, this is the fresh form of a pepper called ancho when dried. They are large in size and range from mild to hot. Poblanos usually are roasted and peeled before being used in casseroles, soups and sauces, or sstuffed with cheese for chile relleno.
