| THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE
» page 1, 2
Recent archaeological evidence suggests maize agriculture was introduced
to the Southwest sometime around 2000 B.C. This coincides with the
development of large villages or hamlets that were occupied over
an extended period of time. These occupations may have been repeated
short-term events, or for longer periods—possibly over one
or more seasons and repeated over a number of years. Several of
these settlements have been identified in the Tucson area in the
Santa Cruz River flood plain. This area provided readily accessible
farmlands, although it was also subject to periodic flooding. Houses
were relatively small, round- to oval-shaped structures, often with
a large central storage pit for corn (maize), and for seeds such
as mesquite, cactus fruits, and grasses harvested from the fields
and surrounding countryside.
The more sedentary lifestyle reflected in these Late Archaic sites
likely facilitated trade in raw materials and exotic goods like
obsidian (volcanic glass) for making stone tools, and marine shells
for ornaments. The shells were obtained from the Gulf of California
and the California coastline, probably through trade with other
populations to the south and west.
 |
 |
 |
| Selected examples of shell jewelry from Early
Agricultural Period contexts. »Enlarge |
|
Ceramic artifacts from Early Agricultural
Period sites. »Enlarge |
People also began to make fired clay objects in the form of human
figurines and beads. Crude containers formed by pinching clay into
small bowls, flattish plates, and jars soon joined these other early
ceramic forms. By the end of the fourth century A.D., many Southwest
populations had enthusiastically adopted the new ceramic technologies.
» page 1, 2
|
