Tucson Platform Mounds in the Context of Classic Period Variability

Summary

The variability among Hohokam platform mounds and their related architectural complexes, the predominant form of public architecture during the Classic period, has now been well documented through ongoing field studies and archival research. Recognition of that variability encompasses multiple dimensions linked to perceptions of leadership, social structure, territorial configurations, civic and ritual affairs, and external relationships. The Tucson regional sector in southern Arizona is no exception, with platform mounds mirroring much of the diversity seen in the greater Hohokam domain. As elsewhere, untangling the expressions and sources of Tucson variability is challenging due to incomplete data and poorly understood factors such as chronological tendencies and intra-regional stylistic spheres. We begin with mound complex attributes and developmental histories at two Tucson Classic centers where we have worked, one restricted to the Early Classic period and a second occupied from Early through Late Classic times. We then examine these two cases against a backdrop of broader variability at local through region-wide scales in order to strengthen insights into the roles of these iconic precincts in Classic period Hohokam society.

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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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14814