The term ‘Hohokam’ was applied to the culture group by archaeologists, and is borrowed from the Uto-Aztecan language, O’odham. However it does not refer to a tribe or peoples, but rather a site where there are “earthen buildings, red on buff pottery, and extensive canals”.
[1]
Instead the peoples that created and lived in the Hohokam culture are now referred to as ancestral Sonoran Desert people. There is evidence of the Sonoran Desert people being active in the Hohokam sites from around 5,500 BCE, however the Hohokam culture period runs from c. 300-1500 CE.
[2]
Hohokam sites and the people who lived there were based in the “Phoenix Basin along the Gila and Salt Rivers, in southern Arizona along the Santa Cruz and San Pedro Rivers, and north on the Lower Verde River and along the New and Agua Fria Rivers.”
[3]
Their settlements can be traced to around 300 CE, and their society flourished for around one thousand years until around 1375 when sites became abandoned, and their sophisticated canal and irrigation systems fell into disrepair. The Sonoran Desert people gradually left their ancestral areas and by 1450, when the Spanish arrived, there were only a few small communities of their descendants remaining in the area.
[4]
Though it is not known exactly what caused the dispersion of these people, speculations have included that there may have been drought, famine, other natural disasters, or internal warfare.
[2]
There is also evidence that their extensive canals and irrigation systems suffered widespread erosion from as early as 1020-1160 CE.
[5]
The period of the Hohokam culture are usually divided up as follows:
[6]
Pioneer Period: 150 – 725 CE
Colonial Period (Gila Butte phase): 725 – 825 CE
Colonial Period (Santa Cruz phase): 825 – 1000 CE
Sedentary Period (Sacaton phase): 1000-1100 CE
Classic Period (Soho phase): 1111 - 1300 CE
Classic Period (Civano phase): 1300 - 1450 CE
[1]: ”History & Culture - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HJU2S97P
[2]: “The Ancestral Sonoran Desert People - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service),”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HZ95455H
[3]: “Hohokam Culture (U.S. National Park Service)”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/34YMDDCN
[4]: Barnhart 2018: 144. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/VPVHH2HJ
[5]: Snow et al. 2020: 198. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/5T4C9IQT
[6]: McGuire 2018: 5-6. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/C9FB2IXT
| present |
| present |
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| inferred present |
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| inferred Transitional (Absent -> Present) |
| unknown |
| present |
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| Year Range | Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture) was in: |
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The term ‘Hohokam’ was applied to the culture group by archaeologists, and is borrowed from the Uto-Aztecan language, O’odham. However it does not refer to a tribe or peoples, but rather a site where there are “earthen buildings, red on buff pottery, and extensive canals”. [1]
[1]: ”History & Culture - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HJU2S97P
The term ‘Hohokam’ was applied to the culture group by archaeologists, and is borrowed from the Uto-Aztecan language, O’odham. However it does not refer to a tribe or peoples, but rather a site where there are “earthen buildings, red on buff pottery, and extensive canals”. [1]
[1]: ”History & Culture - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HJU2S97P
The term ‘Hohokam’ was applied to the culture group by archaeologists, and is borrowed from the Uto-Aztecan language, O’odham. However it does not refer to a tribe or peoples, but rather a site where there are “earthen buildings, red on buff pottery, and extensive canals”. [1]
[1]: ”History & Culture - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HJU2S97P
in squared kilometersThe Hohokam culture was based in the “Phoenix Basin along the Gila and Salt Rivers, in southern Arizona along the Santa Cruz and San Pedro Rivers, and north on the Lower Verde River and along the New and Agua Fria Rivers.” [1] The coded territory size is a very lose approximation using google maps calculator and the estimated territory area illustrated in the sources used. [2]
[1]: “Hohokam Culture (U.S. National Park Service)”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/34YMDDCN
[2]: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.4248335,-111.1995649,8.39z
levels.: 1. Large Villages :: 2. Small Villages Villages along the canals of the Salt and Gil rivers could cover hundreds of acres with several hundred inhabitants. [1] [2]
[1]: “Hohokam Culture (U.S. National Park Service)”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/34YMDDCN
[2]: McGuire 2018: 5-6. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/C9FB2IXT
levels.It has been postulated – based on differences in burials such as tombs and pit graves - that there was a chief-priesthood, or shamans, who were part of the elite in Hohokam society and were spiritual leaders in each settlement. [1]
[1]: McGuire 2018: 20-21, 47-48. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/C9FB2IXT
levels.The remains of their villages show that Hohokam society had a hierarchical structure. [1] It is not known exactly how this was organised or how society was governed based on evidence from the Hohokam sites, but when considering nearby peoples and their political organisation, it is generally considered that the levels would have been as follows: [2] : 1. Tribal leader (overall leader but without direct authority over each settlement) :: 2. Village leader (someone who had gathered followers and respect and was generally the head of the village) :: 2. War leader (individual who organised and commanded anything relating to war) ::: 3. Village council (made up of a group of respected people)
[1]: “Hohokam Culture (U.S. National Park Service)”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/34YMDDCN/library
[2]: McGuire 2018: 46-47 https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/C9FB2IXT
There were markets in the region, and some were particularly significant such as the one established at Snaketown.
Though not explicitly mentioned in the sources consulted, it is very likely that the Sonoran Desert people had drinking water systems given their sophisticated canal and irrigation technology.
present ♥ Kivas – a built space used for ceremonies, rites, political meetings, or spiritual gatherings – began to be present by the mid-1100s, when the connection to peoples in the area now known as Mexico weakened and they were trading and influenced more by their Pueblo neighbours. Ball courts were constructed which would have been used for games and ceremonies, and possibly public dance and performance spaces. [1]
[1]: Barnhart 2018: 140, 144. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/VPVHH2HJ
Kivas – a built space used for ceremonies, rites, political meetings, or spiritual gatherings – began to be present by the mid-1100s, when the connection to peoples in the area now known as Mexico weakened and they were trading and influenced more by their Pueblo neighbours. [1]
[1]: Barnhart 2018: 144. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/VPVHH2HJ
In larger settlements, ball courts were constructed which would have been used for games and ceremonies, and possibly public dance and performance spaces. [1] More than 200 ball courts have been found in southern and central Arizona. [2]
[1]: Barnhart 2018: 140. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/VPVHH2HJ
[2]: “The Ancestral Sonoran Desert People - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service),”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HZ95455H
As the canals were navigable it may be that there were specific sites that were set up as ports. [1] [2]
[1]: “Hohokam Culture (U.S. National Park Service)”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/34YMDDCN/library
[2]: Barnhart 2018: 137, 142. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/VPVHH2HJ
The Sonoran Desert people built extensive canal works and irrigation systems along the Salt and Gila rivers. [1] The Hohokam built a total of over 700 miles of irrigation canals, most of which were 8-12 miles long and around 50 feet wide and 12 feet deep. [2]
[1]: “Hohokam Culture (U.S. National Park Service)”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/34YMDDCN/library
[2]: Barnhart 2018: 137, 142. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/VPVHH2HJ
The Sonoran Desert people traded with their neighbours and over time their region became a cross road in the trade system. On route ran from northern Mexico, to the Tucson area and to the Gila River Valley. Therefore it could be inferred that emporium were established during trading seasons. [1]
[1]: “The Ancestral Sonoran Desert People - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service),”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HZ95455H
By the 1100’s village organisation had changed to include homes grouped together within a walled structure or compound. Those enclosures were then arranged around public buildings and courtyards. [1]
[1]: “The Ancestral Sonoran Desert People - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service),”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HZ95455H
Kivas – a built space used for ceremonies, rites, political meetings, or spiritual gatherings – began to be present by the mid-1100s, when the connection to peoples in the area now known as Mexico weakened and they were trading and influenced more by their Pueblo neighbours. [1]
[1]: Barnhart 2018: 144. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/VPVHH2HJ
Cemeteries are found in all settlements. Some of the larger settlements such as La Ciudad, Grewe or Snaketown have several cemetery sites. There are some discrepancies between burial sites, such as tombs and pit burials, which indicate that Hohokam was a hierarchical society. [1]
[1]: McGuire 2018: 9-11, 20-22. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/C9FB2IXT
There was no currency but trade was based on an exchange system with their neighbours and other peoples who lived on the coast of North America. [1]
[1]: “The Ancestral Sonoran Desert People - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service),”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HZ95455H
There was no currency but trade was based on an exchange system with their neighbours and other peoples who lived on the coast of North America. [1]
[1]: “The Ancestral Sonoran Desert People - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service),”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HZ95455H
There was no currency but trade was based on an exchange system with their neighbours and other peoples who lived on the coast of North America. [1]
[1]: “The Ancestral Sonoran Desert People - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service),”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HZ95455H