Walls, Mounds, and Pots: Examining the Classic Period Hohokam

The Hohokam Classic Period is characterized as a time of change, social differentiation, and possible stratification. The ubiquitous use of towering compound wall, standardized platform mounds, and the wide-spread adoption of a new kind of pottery, Salado Polychrome, are some of the indicators that a new ideology had spread across the Hohokam region. Archaeological literature has shown that the Phoenix Basin, Tonto Basin, Tucson Basin, and other parts of the Hohokam world were a part of this shared ideology, but differed in how the ideology manifested. The goal of this session is to highlight recent work focused on the Classic Period. Paper topics in this session include ceremonialism and ideology, social and sociopolitical organization, social interaction, exchange, architecture and monumentality, and agriculture and subsistence. These papers, detailing aspects of the Classic Period in different parts of the Hohokam region, will provide a large-scale summary of current Classic Period research.