Definitive dates are not clear, but the site was generally thought to be inhabited between 300 BCE and 1200 CE. Hohokam is an O’odham word meaning “those who have gone.” Specifically who the Hohokam people were and when the site was inhabited is subject to debate. It was dedicated as "Hohokam Pima National Monument" in 1972. Snaketown is governed by the Gila River Indian Community, which chose to preserve the site by reburying it after early excavations. The Monument is not open to the public.