Early Agriculture and Community on the Southwestern Colorado Plateau

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Field Houses and Traditional Agricultural Landscapes of the Northern US Southwest" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

To outsiders, the arid, sandy, and sparsely vegetated landscapes of the Hopi Mesas and the Petrified Forest–both located on the far southwestern portion of the Colorado Plateau–may seem like improbable settings for population-dense and long-lived farming communities. Yet, the traditional ecological knowledge held by early farmers allowed Hopi Ancestors to thrive in these regions for millennia, and continue to provide youth with values core to Hopi identity–humility, hard work, and a focus on community. There is considerable evidence that both the Hopi Mesas and Petrified Forest hosted large communities of early farmers during a period spanning CE 200–850. In each region, early community centers were built on culturally significant and visually prominent landscape features overlooking arable lands suitable for Hopi-style sand-mulch farming. Ancestors in each region also integrated uniquely Hopi agricultural features into current and/or former residential spaces within both aggregated villages and dispersed hamlets. Unlike CE 550-850 communities in regions to the north and east, however, early farmers did not build great kivas, even at community centers. Our understanding of early agriculture and community during this era is informed by the perspectives of Hopi cultural advisers, the systematic documentation of ancient plants, and Crow Canyon's Pueblo Farming Project.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Field Houses and Traditional Agricultural Landscapes of the Northern US Southwest   •
• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51914