Full-Coverage Regional Surveys:Insights Gained about Hohokam, Akimel O'odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) Landscape Use

Summary

Full-coverage regional archaeological surveys conducted throughout the world in diverse environmental contexts have demonstrated the advantages of this methodology for addressing a broad range of anthropological issues. The Northern Tucson Basin Survey (1980-1987) directed by Suzanne and Paul Fish represents the first application of this methodology to document prehistoric Hohokam settlement and land-use. Contiguous survey blocks centered on three Classic Period platform mounds and their associated settlement complexes, located primarily in a non-riverine context, covered more than 470 square km. The survey data acquired have contributed significantly to our understanding of the organization of Hohokam communities. Based on the success of the Fishes research project, a full-coverage approach was implemented by the Gila River Indian Community's Pima Maricopa Irrigation Project (1994-2004) to survey 140,000 acres (567 square km) of the reservation. This paper discusses some of the insights gained from the Gila River full-coverage survey regarding Hohokam and historic Pima-Maricopa use of a riverine environment. The survey enabled examination of topics such as settlement response to changing geomorphic landscapes, the organization of Hohokam communities and irrigation systems, understanding the use of non-residential spaces between villages, and protohistoric and post-contact Akimel O'odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) settlement dynamics.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Regional to International Collaborations in American Archaeology: The Legacy of Suzanne Fish and Paul Fish

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15172