The City of Tempe is preparing to resume its redevelopment efforts on a segment of Eighth Street that had been halted a few years ago due to a significant archaeological find.

Over the past few years, the city had been engaged in enhancing the section of Eighth Street stretching between Rural Road and McClintock Drive.

However, the project was temporarily suspended after archaeological excavations conducted at the site in 2018 unveiled remnants of a Native American community dating back more than a millennium, 12News NBC reported.

An archaeological investigation report from the site reveals that evidence suggests the community’s inhabitants possessed advanced skills in irrigating their fields with water from the Salt River, enabling them to thrive for many centuries.

Furthermore, the excavation uncovered a rare multi-story building from the 14th century, believed to have served as a ceremonial house.

The village’s residents seem to have continued farming in the vicinity until approximately 1450 AD.

However, the construction of a new railroad in the late 1800s in the area led to the burial of the archaeological remains of this ancient village.

As work progresses on the Eighth Street project, the city is collaborating with the Four Southern Tribes of Arizona to develop a street design that both preserves and commemorates this recent archaeological discovery.

Written by staff