Magnetic Gradiometry in the Spatial Reconstruction of the Early Agricultural Period Canal System at La Playa, Mexico

Summary

La Playa (SON F:10:3), in Sonora, Mexico, is an Early Agricultural period (2100 B.C.-A.D. 50) archaeological site which has the remains of an irrigation canal system. The Early Agricultural Period is characterized by the development of agriculture in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Due to severe erosion at La Playa, intact canals and cultivated soils had not been located for study. Magnetic gradiometry was used to detect intact agricultural features buried by alluvium. This paper presents recent magnetic data from La Playa. Intact irrigation canals, water retention features, reservoirs, and possible cultivation plots were successfully identified using this method. This data set has significantly contributed to the understanding of land management strategies by imaging the extent and morphology of the canal network and relationship to other agricultural features. Data from this survey will guide future sampling strategy and archaeological testing. This technique has changed future excavation strategies from those which focus primarily on salvage archaeology, to strategies which can incorporate the testing of specific archaeological features before they are destroyed by erosion.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Student Contributions in Geoarchaeology

Keywords

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