**Paleoindians (circa 12,000–6000 BCE)**:

The earliest inhabitants were Paleoindians, who lived around ancient Lake Cochise (now Willcox Playa) during the late Pleistocene era. They were hunter-gatherers who hunted large mammals like mammoths and bison using stone tools. Sites like Murray Springs show evidence of their presence, with artifacts such as atlatl dart points and scrapers. (https://www.nps.gov/chir/learn/historyculture/pre-history.htm)

**Cochise Culture (circa 7000–200 BCE)**:

This Archaic tradition, named after Lake Cochise, spanned several millennia and is divided into three phases:

**Sulphur Spring (circa 7000–4000 BCE)**: These people relied heavily on gathering wild plants and hunting small game, using milling stones and scrapers but no projectile points initially. Evidence of hunting extinct and modern animals exists. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochise_Tradition) (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cochise-culture)

**Chiricahua Phase (circa 4000–1500 BCE)**: This phase saw increased hunting with the appearance of projectile points and the beginnings of agriculture, including primitive maize cultivation. Artifacts include seed-processing tools found at sites like Ventana Cave. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochise_Tradition)  

**San Pedro Phase (circa 1500–200 BCE)**: Marked by larger projectile points, oval pithouses, and evidence of maize and other crop cultivation. Settlements became more permanent, indicating a shift toward agriculture. Pottery appeared toward the end, linking to later Mogollon traditions. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochise_Tradition) (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cochise-culture)

**Mogollon Culture (circa 200 CE–1150 CE)**: By 200 CE, the Mogollon people, likely descendants of the Cochise Culture, established more settled communities in the region’s mountains. They lived in pit houses, made plain and red-slipped brownware pottery, and farmed corn, beans, and squash. Around 1000 CE, they began building above-ground pueblos and producing distinctive Mimbres black-on-white pottery. Archaeological sites in Chiricahua National Monument suggest small family groups used the area for farming and resource gathering. (https://www.nps.gov/chir/learn/historyculture/pre-history.htm) (https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=100823)

**Hohokam Culture (circa 300 BCE–1400 CE)**: While more prominent in central Arizona, the Hohokam influenced parts of Cochise County. They were skilled farmers who built extensive irrigation systems and grew crops like corn. Their presence is less dominant in Cochise County compared to the Mogollon but is noted in regional archaeological records. (https://cochisecountyhistory.org/the-first-inhabitants/) (https://www.ereferencedesk.com/resources/state-early-history/arizona.html)

**Salado Culture (circa 1200–1400 CE)**: Following the decline of the Mogollon, the Salado Culture emerged, influenced by Hohokam and Casas Grandes traditions. They built adobe pueblos and room blocks around central plazas and traded with northern Mexico. Evidence of their presence in Cochise County is limited but noted at specific sites.(https://www.nps.gov/chir/learn/historyculture/pre-history.htm) These groups preceded the Chiricahua Apache, who arrived in the region around the 13th–14th centuries CE, migrating from Canada as part of the Athapascan-speaking peoples. The Apache, including the Chiricahua band, became dominant by the time Spanish explorers arrived in the 16th century. (https://cochisecountyhistory.org/the-first-inhabitants/) (https://www.ereferencedesk.com/resources/state-early-history/arizona.html) (https://www.dragoonarizona.com/chiricahua-apache/chiricahua-apache-history/pre-1850s-dragoon-life/dragoon-mountains-1)  

The archaeological record, including petroglyphs, pictographs, and artifacts like manos, metates, and pottery, provides evidence of these cultures’ lifeways, from nomadic hunting to settled farming communities. (https://www.nps.gov/chir/learn/historyculture/pre-history.htm) (https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/335)