A Critical Evaluation of Soil Salinization, Waterlogging, and Agricultural Fertility within Hohokam Irrigation of the Phoenix Basin

Summary

This is a presentation from the 2021 Arizona Archaeological Council (AAC) Fall symposium on "The Archaeology of Canals in the Arizona Desert".

In arid and semi-arid regions, soil salinization and waterlogging are thought to cause agricultural infertility and social change. Although common in irrigation models and theories, empirical evidence supporting a primary causal link among salinization, waterlogging, and infertility has proved elusive. Proxies and indirect measures (e.g., soil description maps and historic observations) are often held up as support in the absence of direct evidence. Recent subsurface soil health data from prehistoric and historic irrigated fields in central Arizona allow for direct assessment of factors which would have constrained agricultural success (e.g., sodium and nutrient accumulation levels). In this paper, we argue that despite historical assumptions, salinization and waterlogging were not likely to have been irreversible impediments to agriculture success. Instead, multiple lines of evidence, including irrigation system longevity and prehistoric soil studies, indicate Hohokam farmers could and did mediate both potential impacts. Our results reveal that deleterious impacts of salinization and waterlogging in the past should be demonstrated through direct measure and indicators, rather than inferred or assumed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2021 AAC Fall Conference

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Arizona Archaeological Council; Chris Caseldine; David Abbott

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