Mind the Gap: Absolute Dating of Middle Gila River Canals provides Evidence for 1,500 Years of Continuous Irrigation Agriculture in the Phoenix Basin

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Evidence suggests that the first irrigation canals along the Middle Gila River were built by at least the Vahki phase ca. AD 450, and the construction and use of canals continued throughout the remainder of prehistory. Canal systems are also a prominent part of the historical lifeway of the Akimel O'Odham who live in the Hohokam core area today, with reported examples from at least the 18th century through today. Until recently, most researchers have assumed a gap existed between the presumed end of canal construction around AD 1450, and the canals that were historically documented in the early 1700s. However, recent Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating of canal deposits within the Gila River Indian Community include dates that bridge the assumed gap between the archaeologically documented prehistoric canals and the historically reported canal systems. The continuity of dating suggests that the various iterations of these systems have been in continuous use for at least 1,500 years. This possibility is supported by additional lines of evidence including O’Odham traditional knowledge and continuity in material culture along the Middle Gila River.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32445