Exploring the Deposition of Fauna in Public Spaces in the Tonto Basin, Arizona

Summary

The nature and performance of public rituals and have long interested archaeologists studying the pre-Hispanic U.S. Southwest. The frequent deposition of animals in public spaces suggests that certain animals were important parts of public rituals and the broader activities surrounding them. In this poster, I explore the deposition of ritual fauna in the Tonto Basin area of central Arizona. Typically considered "Hohokam," the Tonto Basin exhibits influence from the neighboring Sinagua region and the Puebloan northern Southwest. The emergence of the "Salado phenomenon" and socially integrative architecture in the region is evidence of broad sociopolitical and religious change involving specific treatments and storage of fauna. I use ethnographic evidence and faunal analyses to ask whether ritual fauna cluster in socially integrative spaces and what implications these patterns had for integrating migrant Puebloan populations with local people. I find that ritual fauna cluster in room contexts specifically associated with platform mounds. While faunal diversities in public spaces are normal given sample sizes, non-socially integrative architectural contexts fall below expectations, suggesting a centralization of ritual practice and storage. Ultimately, specific taxa were targeted by Tonto Basin communities for the enactment of public activities, which aided in the integration of non-local communities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16841