The canals they built, and continuously reconstructed, were designed to do more than simply deliver water. Villages further downstream would inevitably feel the impacts of management decisions made at this site.Īs farmers and hunters the Hohokam were forced to become skillful land managers, advancing beyond farming to use fire to encourage the growth of certain herbs and grasses. These structures, raised on tall mounds of earth and rubble, are found approximately every three miles along the major irrigation canals. It seems likely that these villages served as management stations, where the theocratic or secular elite dictated canal construction and maintenance, as well as the allocation of water throughout the region. The residents of Pueblo Grande would have been particularly influential as the site’s strategic location lies at the headwaters of a major canal system. Pueblo Grande, literally “big village,” is one of about 40 platform mounds constructed in the Salt River Valley. This site lies adjacent to The Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park just north of the Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. Many of these ancient canals, while still in use, have been expanded and obscured by concrete. At the Park of Four Waters, some Hohokam canals are preserved and still visible. Today, central Arizona’s major canal system makes use of the same ancient routes. Berms and irrigation wells in Phoenix’s older neighborhoods are relics of the city’s early history. A system that once brought water to thousands is now being used to help supply the modern water needs of millions.

In 1868, Jack Swilling re-established canals that led to the settlement of Phoenix-a city rising from the ruins of an earlier culture, named for the mythical Egyptian bird that rose from ashes. Opportunists brought the canals to life again to settle in the otherwise inhospitable desert. The evidence of many Hohokam villages lies buried under urban development where they coincide with major cities such as Phoenix and Tucson. The lush fields and canal vegetation provided habitat for game, fish, and mollusks hunted and gathered by the Hohokam for food and trade. The Hohokam also made use of almost 200 species of Sonoran Desert species, encouraging the growth of cholla cactus and agave, and may even have promoted or developed new strains with distinct flavors. They grew cotton, gourds, and tobacco for textiles, art, and possibly ceremonial use. They did not simply subsist in the Salt and Gila River Valleys-they thrived on a varied diet of corn, jackbeans, tepary beans, lima beans, squash, barley, and amaranth.

The great achievement of the Hohokam lay in their ability to manage the harsh desert landscape for the resources they required to eat, trade, and produce stunning pieces of shell and ceramic art. Because the Hohokam had no draft animals, this feat of hydrological engineering was accomplished by hand, using only stone tools and simple survey equipment. This network is the precursor to modern-day Arizona’s major canal system, which follows many of the original paths. This system transformed desert valleys into fertile agricultural centers and rich riparian corridors, providing water to tens of thousands of individuals. The irrigation system the Hohokam created stretched for hundreds, or possibly thousands of miles, from the Salt and Gila rivers. Hohokam is derived from the Akimel O’odham word for “those who have gone” or “all used up.” The reasons for their disappearance may include limited land and water, yet their ability to manage and create those resources was impressive.

These are the last physical clues describing a people who exhibited great cultural refinement and ingenuity. 1450, when they abandoned the area for reasons unknown, they left behind an incredible wealth of ruins, rock art, and canals-sites and artifacts distributed over 27,000 square miles. For nearly fifteen hundred years, the Hohokam people farmed and lived in central and southern Arizona and northern Mexico. They created skillfully crafted pottery and shell jewelry, which they traded for turquoise and other goods in a network that extended from Mexico to the Pacific coast.

Where did the hohokam lived