Archaeological Burial Recovery at the Morocco Ruin in Goodyear, Maricopa County, Arizona
Author(s): Douglas Mitchell
Year: 2006
Summary
This report presents the results of archaeological excavation of a Hohokam cemetery that was discovered during archaeological testing in advance of a proposed residential development in Goodyear, Arizona. The project proponent, Sonterra Partners, is planning to develop approximately 800 acres of private land in Goodyear, Arizona for single-family housing. Previous surveys had identified numerous surface artifacts within the documented boundary of two large prehistoric Hohokam sites, the Morocco Ruin (AZ T:11:106 [ASM]) and the Alkali Ruin (AZ T:11:14 [ASM])(North 2005).
The Morocco Ruin has been examined to varying degrees many times since the 1920s. Extant data indicate the Morocco Ruin was primarily a Classic period village. Surface evidence of features has been obscured by decades of agricultural activity. When the site was first documented in the late 1920s and 1930s, habitation mounds, trash mounds, burial areas, and a prehistoric canal segment were noted. Recent work, primarily on the fringes of the site, has identified additional canal segments and probable thermal features.
SWCA conducted test excavations in portions of the Morocco Ruin and the Alkali Ruin and (Foster et al. 2005). At the Morocco Ruin, 19 prehistoric features (six pits, two pithouses, one rock feature, two inhumation burials, and eight cremation burials) were identified. A data recovery phase was implemented to excavate the human burials found during the testing. During the course of the explorations, which included additional trenching and mechanical stripping, nine more human burials were found. Also, three features that are probably associated with the burials and a small irrigation canal of uncertain antiquity (either prehistoric or historical) were exposed and investigated.
Cite this Record
Archaeological Burial Recovery at the Morocco Ruin in Goodyear, Maricopa County, Arizona, 119. Douglas Mitchell. 2006 ( tDAR id: 445832) ; doi:10.48512/XCV8445832
This Resource is Part of the Following Collections
Keywords
Material
Buffware
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Chipped Stone
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Core
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Fauna
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Ground Stone
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Human Remains
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Mano
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Plainware
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Projectile points
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Red-on-Buff
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Redware
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Shell
Site Name
Alkali Ruin
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AZ T:11:106 (ASM)
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AZ T:11:14 (ASM)
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Morocco Ruin
Site Type
Archaeological Feature
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Artifact Scatter
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Cremation
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Funerary and Burial Structures or Features
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Inhumation
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Pit
Investigation Types
Archaeological Overview
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Data Recovery / Excavation
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Historic Background Research
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Reconnaissance / Survey
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Records Search / Inventory Checking
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Research Design / Data Recovery Plan
Geographic Keywords
Arizona (State / Territory)
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Goodyear, AZ
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Maricopa (County)
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Phoenix Basin
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Sonoran Desert
Temporal Keywords
Classic Period
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Gila Phase
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Preclassic Period
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Sacaton Phase
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Snaketown Phase
Spatial Coverage
min long: -112.188; min lat: 33.396 ; max long: -112.154; max lat: 33.413 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): SWCA Environmental Consultants
Contributor(s): Joshua Edwards; Michael S. Foster; Rebecca Hill; Gary Huckleberry; Joshua Watts
Field Director(s): Ron Ryden
Principal Investigator(s): John Lindly
Sponsor(s): Maricopa County Department of Transportation
Submitted To(s): SD Construction
Record Identifiers
SWCA Project No.(s): 9208-031
File Information
| Name | Size | Creation Date | Date Uploaded | Access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06-119A_OCR_PDFA_Redacted.pdf | 9.20mb | Feb 9, 2021 12:19:30 PM | Public | ||
| This file is the redacted version of the resource. | |||||
| 06-119A_OCR_PDFA.pdf | 14.22mb | Apr 1, 2006 | May 17, 2018 11:42:24 AM | Confidential | |
| This file is the unredacted version of the resource. | |||||
Accessing Restricted Files
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Contact(s): SWCA Environmental Consultants