| Cerro Prieto is near the junction of the Santa Cruz River and Robles
Wash about 35 miles northwest of central Tucson. Between A.D. 1200 and
1350, Hohokam inhabitants lived in more than 230 stone houses and
planted terrace gardens.
Most of the village is concentrated on the lower
northern slopes. A few structures on the summit are separated from the
main residential area. Stone-walled compounds, each enclosing several
rooms, are clustered in the central part of the village.
Massive stone walls were built along the sides of a natural channel which
divides the village into two parts. Several other trincheras villages
in the Tucson area have similar natural or man-made divisions. These divisions
may mark a social boundary between groups of residents on either side.
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Cerro Prieto.
Photo by Adriel Heisey.
Artist's reconstruction of
the Cerro Prieto village.
Drawing by Ronald Beckwith.
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 Cross section of Cerro Prieto house and terrace.
Drawing by Ronald Beckwith.
The Hohokam dug into the slope at the back of a terrace
and built up the front to create a level surface for their houses. The
mostly rectangular shape of houses at Cerro Prieto contrasts with the
mostly round shape of pit houses at Los Morteros, a contemporary Hohokam
trincheras site 18 miles to the southeast.
Cerro Prieto house foundation.
The outlines of stone house walls are still readily visible.
Photo by Chris Downum.
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Cross section of Cerro Prieto terraces.
Drawing
by Ronald Beckwith.
At heights over 10 feet, the largest terrace walls create a stepped
effect down the hill slope. The site's largest terraces wrap around the
lower slope in parallel lines near the eastern edge of the village.
Cerro Prieto terraces.
Photo by Chris Downum.
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