Why are there so many pyramids in Arizona?
Only in Arizona: All across the state you'll find the three-sided, four-panel edifices to the stars — and beyond — contributing to our quirky reputation
What's the deal with Arizona and pyramids? There's that weird Hi Jolly camel caravan memorial in Quartzite; former Gov. George Hunt and his family are buried in one in Papago Park; Tempe's City Hall is shaped like an upside-down pyramid; 1,000-year-old northern Arizona tribes even etched stepped pyramids into petroglyphs; the list goes on.
“I believe that the pyramid custom was mostly cultural,” says Gary David, author of "The Orion Zone," which explores the relationship between celestial bodies and Native American peoples, including the Hopi in northeast Arizona.
David believes that the Hopi saw the San Francisco Peaks as central to their universe, and that the petroglyphs may represent those points.
Apparently the Egyptians and Mayans were not the only group obsessed with pyramids. Are Arizona's pyramids a product of living in the desert and creating efficient shelters? Is there a cultural, celestial or spiritual tie of some sort?
Spiritual ties
“In Governor George Hunt's case, it might have been a spiritual link that he is buried in a white-tile pyramid because he was a Freemason and frequently gave lectures to the Theosophical Society,” David says.
The “Father of Arizona,” Charles Poston, also is entombed in a pyramid in Florence. He worked as an explorer and surveyor in the southeastern part of the state during the 1850s, and later lobbied then-president Abraham Lincoln to create a separate Arizona Territory.
Not long after that, Poston penned "The Sun Worshippers of Asia" after an extended trip to China and India before returning to work at the General Land Office in Arizona in 1877.
“(Poston's) remains rest in a pyramid-shaped monument at the summit of Poston's Butte near Florence, where he had once hoped to build a sun temple,” David says.
Hi Jolly
The story of Hi Jolly may be a bit more straight-forward. The tomb holds the remains of Hadji Ali, who was originally from Syria, but because his name was hard to pronounce, everyone called him Hi Jolly. He drove camels for the U.S. Army in the 1850s and worked as a packer and scout for the government for 30 years.
As a memorial to his career and dedication to the region, the Arizona Department of Transportation erected a pyramid with a camel on top in the 1930s at the Quartzite Cemetery where he is buried.
The whole three-sided, four-paneled pyramid thing makes you think. Is it about leaving a lasting legacy? Or perhaps a nod to Arizona's expansive landscape and star-studded skies? Probably a bit of both.
Contact “Only in Arizona” columnist Mark Nothaft at marknothaft.onlyinaz@gmail.com. Send him the weird and fun facts and places found #OnlyInArizona.
Arizona's Pyramids
Hi Jolly Monument
100 E. Main St., Quartzite
928-927-5600
Tempe City Hall
31 E. Fifth St., Tempe
480-350-4311
Poston Butte
West Hunt Highway, just west of State Highway 79
Florence
Governor Hunt's Tomb
625 N. Gavin Parkway, Phoenix
602-495-5458
San Francisco Peaks/Coconino National Forest
1824 S. Thompson St., Flagstaff
928-527-3600
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