Excavations at the Fence Site, AZ AA:16:97 (ASM), a Rillito Phase Farmstead in the Avra Valley, Pima County, Arizona

Summary

The slopes of the Avra Valley, lacking perennial water sources, would seem an unlikely place for a large prehistoric community. Yet during the Hohokam Colonial period (ca. A.D. 750-950), a community sprang up along the western slopes of the Tucson Mountains. Centered on the ballcourt village of Water World, AZ AA:16:94 (ASM), numerous households thrived in the area, both in the primary village and in outlying farmsteads (Czaplicki and Ravesloot 1988, 1989a, 1989b, 1989c; Dart 1994; Downum et. al. 1986; Lindeman 2000b; Lindeman and Freeman 1996; Wocherl 2003).The Fence Site, AZ AA:16:97 (ASM), located a few hundred meters north of Water World, is one of the outlying farmsteads. Occupied for only a few generations during the Rillito phase (ca. A.D. 850-950), the occupants of the Fence Site lived, worked, played, died, and were buried in this unlikely location.

Archaeological fieldwork was completed in accordance with an approved treatment plan (Herr and Lindeman 2010) for the Fence Site. The treatment plan prescribed archaeological data recovery in advance of a pipeline to be constructed by Tucson Water as part of the Southern Avra Valley Storage and Recovery Project (SAVSARP). The overall SAVSARP project will construct test basins, infiltration basins, extraction wells, roads, pipelines, and utility lines on approximately 4 square miles of land in the southern Avra Valley, Pima County, Arizona. The proposed pipeline that initiated the current project connects the SAVASARP parcel to an existing water pipeline running along San Joaquin Road.

Fieldwork was initiated on 2 January 2011 and completed on 18 January 2011. Data Recovery was completed on both Federal and State lands, with the majority of features occurring on Reclamation property; a single feature was found on Arizona State Trust Land. Michael Lindeman served as project director and William Doelle as the principle investigator. Twelve archaeological features were identified, 1 pithouse, 6 secondary cremations, 4 extramural pits, and a trash concentration. All of the features were completely excavated with all of the fill completely screened.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

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Contact(s): Desert Archaeology, Inc.

Contributor(s): Jenny L. Adams; Leslie Aragon; Owen K. Davis; Michael W. Diehl; James M. Heidke; Michael W. Lindeman; John McClelland; Mary Ownby; Stacy L. Ryan; Christine H. Virden-Lange; Jennifer A. Waters; Laurie Webster

Prepared By(s): Desert Archaeology, Inc.

Submitted To(s): City of Tucson

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