THE HOHOKAM
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Archaeologists do not, of course, know what these people called
themselves, or how they viewed their community and ties with other
settlements in the surrounding regions. In the Sonoran Desert regions
of southern Arizona, researchers call this developing tradition
the “Hohokam” culture. Hallmarks include brown or buff-colored
pottery decorated with reddish, ochre (hematite)-based paint; a
highly developed tradition of shell jewelry manufacturing that included
carved pendants;a growing a variety of crops, including maize (corn),
various beans, squashes, and cotton, which were often irrigated
by a complex system of canals and reservoirs; as well as the collection
of many wild plants, including mesquites, cactus buds, grass seeds,
and agave. In some areas, agave was particularly important and was
cultivated and harvested for the fibers in its leaves, which were
processed to make thread and woven cloth. The core—or heart—of
the agave plant was also roasted in large hornos (pit ovens) and
eaten.
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| Examples of Santa Cruz Red-on-buff pottery
(A.D. 850-A.D. 950). »Enlarge |
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Examples of Sacaton Red-on-brown pottery (A.D.
950-A.D. 1150). »Enlarge |
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| Examples of Rillito
Red-on-brown (A.D. 850-A.D. 950). »Enlarge |
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Examples of Rincon Red-on-brown
pottery (A.D. 950-A.D. 1150). »Enlarge |
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| Selected examples
of pendants. »Enlarge |
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Selected shell bracelets. »Enlarge |
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