Hohokam Archaeology Along the Salt Gila Aqueduct Central Arizona Project - Volume VI: Habitation Sites on the Gila River, Parts V and VI [No. 150 Vol. 6, Parts V and VI]

Abstract

Archaeological investigations of eight prehistoric habitation sites located along the route of the Salt-Gila Aqueduct near the town of Florence are reported in this volume. Of the riverine habitation sites included in this report, two require some additional explanation as to why they are considered in this site category. Sites AZ U:15:84 and AZ U.15.88 were vestiges, or small parts, of larger habitation sites located nearby that were recorded during earlier reconnaisance survey and field testing. Neither site fits the category of specialized activity, thus, both have been subsumed under the category of riverine habitation sites. Of these habitation sites, the Jones Ruin was the the only one located on the north side of the Gila River. All of these sites, however, share similar locations relating to the Gila River floodplain resources and the resources available away from the river on the terraces, ridges, and washes that border this major drainage. Locating habitation structures in positions that allowed the inhabitants to utilize the full range of resources was found to have been the choice from the Santa Cruz through Civano phases of the Hohokam occupation in this area. Remains of the usual set of cultivated plants found at Hohokam sites were recovered from features and structures. A broad range of native resources was exploited as well; most notable is the evidence that agave probably was being grown nearby. Heretofore, unrecorded variations in architecture have revealed a clearer picture of the evolution of aboveground structures usually associated with Classic period sites. Excavations at Las Fosas produced architectural as well as burial data significant for site structure reconstructions. Data from the Dust Bowl Site, the Saguaro Site and the Junkyard Site add to the development sequence of pit house architecture through walled compound habitation units. Data from these sites are complemented by the Sedentary to Classic transition material recovered across the river at the Jones Ruin and from the material collected from the Gopherette Site that was located near large Classic period sites. Summaries include discussions of how these smaller riverine habitation sites related to the relatively larger sites close by, such as the Escalante Ruins, Pueblo Pinal, and the Mesquite Flats Ruins.