Interesting places to explore in Ahwatukee

Even the name is a story. The Ahwatukee Board of Management, which manages the master-planned community that carries the name, says the first owners of the land called it Casa de Sueños, house of dreams, and that Ahwatukee came later as a Crow translation of the idea, a story Crow-language experts dispute. Today Ahwatukee Foothills is an urban village of the City of Phoenix, and most of it is quiet neighborhoods. But between the mountain and the boulevards are places many residents drive past for years without stopping. Here are seven worth a second look.

1. The petroglyphs on Telegraph Pass

From the Desert Foothills Trailhead, 14251 S. Desert Foothills Parkway, the Telegraph Pass Trail climbs into South Mountain Park/Preserve. The city counts it among the trails where you can see Hohokam rock art: images pecked through the dark outer layer of stone to the lighter rock beneath, showing animals, people, geometric designs and symbols whose meaning nobody can be sure of. The Hohokam lived in the region from about A.D. 450 to 1450, and the city believes the mountains were probably sacred to them, as they are to tribal communities today. The trail is open to the public at no charge. Photograph the panels from the path; the oils on your hands damage them.

2. A famous inscription that isn’t what it claims

The city’s plan for the village lists Marcos de Niza Rock among South Mountain’s landmarks. The carving names the Franciscan friar and the year 1539, which would make it a record of the first European in the Phoenix area. When an Arizona State University historian and geographer examined it for the PBS series History Detectives in 2009, they concluded otherwise: the phrase “New Mexico” wasn’t in use in 1539, the lettering looked modern, and testing of the rock pointed to a carving made after about 1900. It has been protected behind iron bars since it was found in the 1920s, and the historian argued it deserves preserving anyway, as a historic fake. The city’s trail list includes a short Marcos de Niza Trail from the Pima Canyon Trailhead, 4500 E. Pima Canyon Road.

3. The Chandler Boulevard lights

Every holiday season the median of Chandler Boulevard, between 24th Street and Desert Foothills Parkway, fills with lights. The display began in 1986 as a homebuilder’s welcome for prospective buyers while Ahwatukee was still being built. When Del Webb stopped putting it up in 1995, three local women took it on and raised money to keep it going. Today the Foothills Association oversees it with neighbors’ donations, and the nonprofit Light Up Ahwatukee says people still drive across the Valley to see it. Seeing it costs nothing but a slow drive after dark.

4. Ironwood Library

Ironwood Library, at 4333 E. Chandler Blvd. just west of 44th Street, was dedicated in October 1991, which makes it 35 this year. Phoenix names most of its branches after Sonoran Desert plants, and this one won a Phoenix architecture award for accessibility in 1992. Look for pieces from its collection of Mexican folk art, which are often on display. It is a free, air-conditioned place to linger on a hot afternoon.

5. A show at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center

The Ahwatukee Recreation Center has its own members, but some shows in its main hall are open to everyone. On Saturday, Nov. 14, its Entertainers’ Fall Show brings the doo-wop and contemporary group MC6 A Cappella, whose instrumental sounds all come from their voices. This one is ticketed, with reserved seats sold through the center’s ticketing page and at its lobby.

6. A launch pad in the park

Desert Foothills Park, at 1010 Marketplace on the west side, looks like a typical neighborhood park, with ball fields, courts and a playground. It is also one of the City of Phoenix parks designated for radio-controlled aircraft, model rockets and drones, as long as pilots follow city, state and federal rules. On Saturday, Nov. 21, the same park hosts Light Up Ahwatukee’s free Holiday Festival.

7. The Sunday market on Warner Road

The Ahwatukee Farmers Market, established in 2002, sets up every Sunday in the parking lot of the Ahwatukee Swim and Tennis Center, 4700 E. Warner Road. Besides produce, herbs, flowers, baked goods, meats and seafood, there is a selection of local arts and crafts, so a morning there is as much a look at Ahwatukee’s makers as a grocery run. Browsing is free.

Where to eat along the way

Pair a stop with a meal close by. Near Pima Canyon, Los Taquitos, at 4747 E. Elliot Road, is a family-run taqueria serving recipes the family has carried for more than 45 years. On Chandler Boulevard, near the library and the lights, Sushi Nakano, at 4025 E. Chandler Blvd., offers a traditional Japanese dining experience, and Va Bene, at 4647 E. Chandler Blvd., is a family Italian restaurant that has served Ahwatukee for almost three decades, with live music during the week.

None of these places needs a full day. Pick one, go early or go after dark, and see a familiar corner of Ahwatukee a little differently.