Measuring Household Inequality in Hohokam Society: An Analysis of Domestic Architecture at Pueblo Grande

Summary

Recent archaeological efforts to explain the emergence and persistence of social inequality have been hampered by a lack of information about how wealth was transmitted across generations and how it may have accumulated or diminished over time. Building on studies that have shown domestic architecture to be an excellent material expression of household wealth, we provide a method for reconstructing the amount of labor invested in house construction at Pueblo Grande, taking into account different architectural styles from different time periods. Our analysis found variability in construction costs that was probably related to wealth and status differences among households, which persisted over time. High-status households were distinguished architecturally by larger and, in some instances, more elaborate houses. The proximity of these households to the village central precinct, a locus of ceremonial expression, further suggests that ritual played a key role in creating and maintaining inequality in 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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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14455