Mogollon

noun

Mo·​go·​llon ˌmə-gə-ˈyōn 

ˌmō-

: a prehistoric Indigenous people inhabiting the mountains of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico

Above the creek, ancestral Puebloans, known as Mogollon, once lived. … The Mogollon abandoned these canyons in the 15th century, perhaps done in by an extended drought.

—Jim Robbins

also : the culture of the Mogollon

Meanwhile, in the south, a Puebloan culture called Mogollon took hold. Over time, Mogollon kivas grew smaller, rectangular and even more private.

—Annalee Newitz

Examples of Mogollon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Native people belonging to the Acoma Pueblo tribe who live there today are believed to have descended from early Puebloans, Mogollon and other ancient peoples. —Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2025

Wind alerts are in place for the following areas: Arizona: In regions including the Little Colorado River Valley, the Kaibab Plateau and the Mogollon Rim. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025

Far above, and many miles away, a thin strip of white cloaked the topmost pinnacles of Mogollon Baldy — all that remained of the season’s first snow. —Percy Brown, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2025

Thus, the way people say the names of places like Casa Grande or Ajo or Tempe or Mogollon or even Mesa can vary, especially between people who grew up in Arizona and people who moved here. —Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 18 Feb. 2025

What To Know The NWS has issued winter warnings for the Western Mogollon Rim, Yavapai County Mountains, Grand Canyon Country, the Coconino Plateau, and the Northwest Deserts as these areas are expected to see several inches of snow. —Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025

All the way, massive views of Sedona, the Black Hills, Mogollon Rim and Sacred Mountain rise above seamless stretches of high desert rangeland. —Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 3 Jan. 2025

It is situated in the Red Rock Country of the Mogollon Rim region, surrounded by stunning red sandstone formations and lies approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Flagstaff. —Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Jan. 2025

The ponderosa pine, a type of yellow pine, lives at elevations typically above 5,000 feet along the Mogollon Rim and other higher elevations in Arizona. —Lauren De Young, The Arizona Republic, 30 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Mogollon, mountain range and plateau in New Mexico

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined above