Late Archaic settlement and subsistence in the Tucson Basin.

Abstract

The research discussed in this study involves examining Late Archaic settlement and subsistence practices in the Tucson Basin. The Late Archaic encompasses the time period from 3000 BP until the adoption of ceramics, ca. AD 200, and witness many changes in adaptation including a reduction in residential mobility and the adoption of cultigens. Data from excavations of Late Archaic sites in the Tucson Basin and elsewhere in the southern desert have documented agricultural villages dispersed along major waterways by 2500 BP. Much of the research has been limited to excavation of sites in single environmental zones, primarily the floodplain, however, and limited information on exploitation or occupation of other ecological zones has been available. This study uses a regional data base to examine Late Archaic occupation of all ecological zones in the Tucson Basin. The Tucson Basin Survey, a 100 percent survey of the Northern Tucson Basin, has provided a unique opportunity for interpreting Late Archaic settlement and subsistence. Late Archaic site distributions are analyzed and assemblage and other site data are used to determine potential roles of sites within the Late Archaic settlement system. The Tucson Basin environment is examined to determine its influence on settlement and subsistence practices. Existing models of Late Archaic settlement-subsistence systems are evaluated using the survey data, and three potential settlement-subsistence models are proposed.