Subsistence and Resource Use Strategies of Early Agricultural Communities in Southern Arizona

Summary

This book is one in a set of four anthropological research volumes and two technical reports that describe the excavations and information gleaned from two archaeological sites located on the floodplain of the Santa Cruz River in Tucson, Arizona. These sites, Las Capas ("The Layers"), AZ AA:12:111(ASM), and Los Pozos ("The Wells" ), AZ AA:12:91(ASM), were occupied during the San Pedro phase (1200-800 B.C) and the Late Cienega phase (400 B.C.- 50 A.D.) of the Early Agricultural period. They provide information about Tucson's - indeed possibly the Southwest's - first farmers.

This volume includes chapters that examine basic questions of human-environment interaction. Subjects that are explored in this volume are the prehistoric climate and ecology of the Tucson Basin, the subsistence practices of the occupants of the sites, habits of plant selection and use, habits of animal selection and use, the range of models available for cultivating crops in arid landscapes, the use of mineralogical resources in tools and early efforts at pottery, and osteological evidence of human health, growth, and nutrition. Most importantly, the chapters in this volume explore, in detail, the behavioral implications that can be made from the wealth of new information gathered from these sites.

The excavations at Las Capas and Los Pozos followed a decade of new and productive exploration of Early Agricultural period (B.C. 2100-A.D. 50) sites in the area. In the interest of productive comparison and contrast, the authors who contributed to this volume drew on all available information from comparable archaeological sites in the region. Therefore, the research presented in this volume represents the state-of-the-art and most comprehensive current explanation of resource use during the Early Agricultural period that is presently available.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Salt River Project Digital Library

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Radiocarbon Date: 400 to 50 (Radiocarbon dates for the Los Pozos site)

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Salt River Project Cultural Resource Manager

Contributor(s): Michael W. Diehl; David A. Gregory; Jonathan B. Mabry; John A. McClelland; Elizabeth J. Miksa; Danielle Montague-Judd; Fred L. Nials; Jennifer A. Waters

Prepared By(s): Center for Desert Archaeology

Submitted To(s): Arizona Department of Transportation Environmental & Enhancement Group

Record Identifiers

Anthropological Papers No.(s): 34

TRACS No.(s): H308801D; H380601D

Contract No.(s): 94-46; 97-03

File Information