"The palpable sense of mystery in the desert air breeds fables, chiefly of lost treasure," wrote Mary Austin in The Land of Little Rain (Houghton, Mifflin and Company, New York, 1903). "There is an economy of nature, but with it all there is not sufficient account taken of the works of man. There is no scavenger that eats tin cans, and no wild thing that leaves a like disfigurement on the forest floor."

All who have entered this area have left their marks. From the first people to explore Arizona 15,000 years ago, three distinct groups evolved: The Hohokam in the low deserts of the south; the Mogollon in the central mountains; and the Puebloan groups (also known as the Anasazi) on the northern plateau. All became highly developed societies. The Hohokam developed extensive irrigation systems, while the others built impressive dwellings on top of mesas and in breathtaking cliff settings. Then they all disappeared, although some believe the present day Hopi and Pueblo peoples are their descendants.

Arizona had become home to the Navajo, the Western Apache and the Upland Yumans (the Hualapai, Havasupai and Yavapai) by the time Spanish explorer Francisco Coronado and his expedition passed through Arizona in the 1540s. Their search for the mythical Seven Cities of Cibola failed, but Spanish missionaries and settlers followed in their footsteps. Resistance from the Apaches kept settlement to a minimum. As late as the 1820s, all towns except Tucson and Tubac were abandoned for a time because of attacks by Native Americans.

The US gained control of Arizona with its victory in the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848 and the Gadsden Purchase of 1853. President Abraham Lincoln created the Arizona Territory in 1863, but it took the arrival of the railroad and the end of the native resistance in 1886 for large numbers of non-Native Americans to settle here.

There's no place on earth quite like the Grand Canyon State. Its landscapes include tall mountain ranges, swift rivers, grasslands, sand dunes, and cactus forests. Its fabled past reaches back thousands of years. Its people are a vibrant blend of cultures and traditions. It's all this and more that makes Arizona a unique and truly unforgettable place.

In fact, that creates a problem: It is impossible to see or do everything in one trip; indeed, a lifetime may not be enough. The best you can do is focus on a small area or a few attractions at a time. And come back often.