Results of Archaeological Testing and Monitoring at the Union Monopole Telecommunications Tower Site, within the Boundaries of Las Moradas, Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona

Summary

SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) was contracted by Communication Services, Inc. (CSI), to conduct archaeological testing and monitoring at the Union Monopole telecommunication tower site, which is located within the boundaries of AZ T:12:3 (ASM), Las Moradas. The project area is located in Maricopa County, Arizona. T-Mobile is installing a new utility line from an existing tower to a nearby power box.

In 2004, Aztlan Archaeology, Inc. (Aztlan), conducted a cultural resources survey of the property and determined that the project area was within the boundaries of AZ T:12:3 (ASM) (Slawson 2004). AZ T:12:3 (ASM), also known as Las Moradas, is a prehistoric Hohokam site and may be part of a larger site, AZ T:12:10 (ASM), Las Colinas. AZ T:12:3 (ASM) is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). In order to mitigate any potential damage to site by ground-disturbing activities, the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) requested that testing for the presence of cultural artifacts or features be performed prior to any ground-disturbing activities, as well as monitoring of the utility trench construction. A testing and monitoring plan was prepared by Archaeological Research Services, Inc. (ARS), (Peters and Wright 2007) which was approved by SHPO and implemented by SWCA.

Testing consisted of three backhoe trenches along the planned utility route. Each trench was 7 to 10 m long, 0.6 m wide, and approximately 1.5 m deep. Three prehistoric sherds were recorded; no prehistoric cultural features were recorded. After testing was completed, SWCA monitored the excavation of the utility trench through the property. The utility trench was approximately 94 m long, 0.33 m wide, and 1.0 m deep. Two prehistoric sherds were found in the backdirt from the utility trench. No features were observed in the utility trench.

Because of the absence of significant cultural remains, no further work is recommended for the project area.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SWCA DAHA Resources   •
• Digital Archive of Huhugam Archaeology (DAHA)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): SWCA Environmental Consultants

Contributor(s): Arizona State Historic Preservation Office

Prepared By(s): SWCA Environmental Consultants

Submitted To(s): Communication Services, Inc.

Record Identifiers

SWCA Project No. (s): 14255

File Information