Classic Period Settlement Patterns along the Middle Gila River

Summary

This paper summarizes archaeological data that show a substantial decrease in population occurred between the Sedentary (ca. 950-1150AD) and Classic Periods (ca. 1150-1500) along the middle Gila River in the Phoenix Basin. This decrease coincides with well documented increases along the lower Salt River. Extensive data suggest this pattern subsequently reversed in the Historic period, when people were again concentrated along the middle Gila, and the lower Salt River was extensively depopulated. The Salt and Gila Rivers have substantial differences in the topography and elevation of their drainage basins, which create divergent discharge regimes. Holocene climatic data suggest that conditions for irrigation along the Salt and Gila Rivers varied through time, and this variation may in part account for the differences in settlement patterns. These shifts in settlement patterns also affected ideological, economic, and political relationships within the region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Walls, Mounds, and Pots: Examining the Classic Period Hohokam

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 13255