Where does “Arizona” come from?

Where does “Arizona” come from? Daniel Welsch Madrid, Spain Some claim the Southwestern state’s name comes from the Spanish zona arida, translated as “arid zone.” Another version states it comes from a Tohono O’odham village about 25 miles southwest of Nogales, called Ali-Shonak, meaning “Place of the Small Spring.” Ali-Shonak didn’t easily roll off Spanish tongues, so the Spanish corrupted it to Arizonac or Arisona. When the Americans arrived more than a century late