Park of the Canals is a modest-looking but quietly important Mesa stop. The preserved canal traces here belong to the Hohokam irrigation system, the same ancient water network that made large settlement possible in the Salt River Valley long before modern Phoenix existed.
The park also has a desert botanical garden and walking paths, so it works as an easy short visit rather than a formal museum trip. Pair it with Mesa Grande Cultural Park if you want a clearer picture of how sophisticated Hohokam engineering was in a place that can look, at first glance, like empty desert.