The Shaw Butte Hilltop Site: A Prehistoric Hohokam Observatory

Author(s): Todd W. Bostwick; Stan Plum

Year: 1996

Summary

The Sonoran Desert of Southern Arizona was once occupied by the prehistoric Hohokam, a group of agriculturalists who constructed thousands of kilometers of irrigation canals as well as public architecture, including platform mounds and bailcourts. They also appear to have been keen astronomical observers, although the subject of Hohokam archaeoastronomy remains underexplored. This paper summarizes previous Hohokam archaeoastronomy studies, discusses O'odham (Piman) Indian calendar systems, outlines a theoretical framework for studying Hohokam archaeoastronomy, and present the results of a study of a fortified hill site in the Phoenix Mountains, Arizona. This site appears to have served as an observatory, where the Hohokam marked the appearance of solstices and equinoxes with light patterns in an artificially constructed rockshelter, and by the location on the horizon of sunrise and sunset in relation to architectural features. Furthermore, some of the petroglyphs at the site which may be associated with astronomical observations are described. The implications of a Hohokam calendar system also are discussed.

Cite this Record

The Shaw Butte Hilltop Site: A Prehistoric Hohokam Observatory. Todd W. Bostwick, Stan Plum. Presented at Oxford V Conference, Cultural Aspects of Astronomy: An Intersection of Disciplines, Santa Fe, California. 1996 ( tDAR id: 439416) ; doi:10.48512/XCV8439416

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Keywords

Culture
Hohokam • O'odham

Material
Ceramic • Macrobotanical

Site Type
Ball Court • Circular Platform Mound • Communal / Public Structure • Domestic Structures • Equinox Markers • Great House / Big House • Metate Slick • Mound / Earthwork • Petroglyph • Platform Mound • Post Hole / Post Mold • Rock Alignment • Rock Art • Rock Shelter • Roof Structure • Wall opening

Investigation Types
Architectural Survey • Environment Research • Geophysical Survey • Historic Background Research • Methodology, Theory, or Synthesis

General
Astroarchaeology • Calendar Systems • Geological • Hohokam Calendar Systems • Mapping • Mesoamerican Calendar Systems • O'odham Calendar Systems • O'odham Mythology • Petroglyph Design • Pima Calendar Systems • Prehistoric Solar Observatories • Solstice Positions

Geographic Keywords
Ajo Mountains • Arizona (State / Territory) • Baboquivari Mountains • Hole-in-the-Rock Canyon • Mesa Grande • Papago Buttes • Phoenix, AZ • Phoenix Basin • Phoenix Mountains • Pueblo Grande • Salt River Valley • Shaw Butte Hilltop Site • Sierra Estrella • Southern Arizona • Tempe, AZ • Tempe Butte

Temporal Keywords
Hohokam • Mesoamerican Classic period

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: 700 to 1200 (Ball game approximate date range)

Calendar Date: 1100 to 1450 (Ceramic Dating)

Calendar Date: 900 to 1150 (Mound construction approximate date range)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -112.089; min lat: 33.585 ; max long: -112.068; max lat: 33.6 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): City of Phoenix Archaeology Office

File Information

  Name Size Creation Date Date Uploaded Access
1996-53---Bostwick-Paper---Shaw-Butte---redacted_OCR_PDFA.pdf 2.12mb Aug 1, 1996 Nov 2, 2017 11:26:16 AM Public
This file is the redacted version of the resource.

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