New but Classic: An examination of Hohokam Canal System 1 during the Classic Period

Summary

Canal System 1, the largest of the four major systems along the lower Salt River, brought water to fields associated with some of the most well-known Hohokam villages, including Mesa Grande, Los Hornos, and Los Muertos. Previously, it was thought that the system reached its maximum extent prior to the Sedentary Period. Recent data and reconstructions of the development of Canal System 1, however, indicate that the system may not have reached its full extent until the Preclassic/Classic transition or the early Classic. If so, the expansion of the system would represent the final major irrigation construction with the lower Salt River Valley. In this paper, I examine Canal System 1 during the Classic. I suggest that sociopolitical changes, which occurred within the system during the late Preclassic and early Classic, led to a fundamental reorganization of the system that may have reverberated throughout the valley.

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): 14907