Rio Nuevo Archaeology, 2000‐2003: Investigations at the San Agustín Mission and Mission Gardens, Tucson Presidio, Tucson Pressed Brick Company, and Clearwater Site
Creators: name: J. Homer Thiel
name: Mabry, Jonathan B.
Publisher: name: Desert Archaeology, Inc.
Year: 2006
Subjects: subject: Arizona (State / Territory)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/335/arizona-state-territory
subject: Santa Cruz River
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/76790/santa-cruz-river
subject: Tucson Basin
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/2758/tucson-basin
subject: Pima (County)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/7353/pima-county
subject: San Augustine Mission
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/84457/san-augustine-mission
subject: Tucson, AZ
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/76651/tucson-az
subject: Early Agricultural period
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/158/early-agricultural-period
subject: Rillito Phase
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/5630/rillito-phase
subject: Pioneer Period
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/111/pioneer-period
subject: Rincon Phase
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/5632/rincon-phase
subject: Cienega phase
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/6390/cienega-phase
subject: Hohokam
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/21/hohokam
subject: Huhugam
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/8166/huhugam
subject: Archaic
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/8/archaic
subject: Historic
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/25/historic
subject: AZ BB:13:6 (ASM)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/83477/az-bb136-asm
subject: AZ BB:13:735 (ASM)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/104792/az-bb13735-asm
subject: AZ BB:13:481 (ASM)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/104791/az-bb13481-asm
subject: AZ BB:13:13 (ASM)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/104873/az-bb1313-asm
subject: Funerary and Burial Structures or Features
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/301/funerary-and-burial-structures-or-features
subject: Domestic Structures
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/256/domestic-structures
subject: Burial Pit
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/307/burial-pit
subject: Pit House / Earth Lodge
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/263/pit-house-earth-lodge
subject: Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/251/domestic-structure-or-architectural-complex
subject: Pollen
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/13/pollen
subject: Shell
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/14/shell
subject: Ceramic
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/1/ceramic
subject: Chipped Stone
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/2/chipped-stone
subject: Fauna
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/4/fauna
subject: Ground Stone
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/7/ground-stone
subject: Human Remains
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/9/human-remains
subject: Macrobotanical
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/10/macrobotanical
subject: Mineral
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/12/mineral
subject: Pollen Analysis
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/3351/pollen-analysis
subject: Petrographic Analysis
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/4090/petrographic-analysis
subject: Data Recovery / Excavation
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/5/data-recovery-excavation
subject: Reconnaissance / Survey
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/7/reconnaissance-survey
subject: Heritage Management
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/24/heritage-management
subject: Research Design / Data Recovery Plan
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/9/research-design-data-recovery-plan

description: Between October 2000 and January 2003, Desert Archaeology, Inc., conducted archaeological investigations at seven locations for the City of Tucson as part of the Rio Nuevo Archaeology project. The City of Tucson plans to revitalize the downtown area, including the re-creation of the historic San Agustín Mission and the Spanish Presidio fortress, as well as the construction of new homes and businesses. Excavations were conducted to either provide basic data for planned reconstructions, or to mitigate the effects of development. Hundreds of cultural features were excavated, with more than 160,000 artifacts recovered. This work documented 4,100 years of occupation and 3,500 years of irrigated agriculture in the floodplain of the Santa Cruz River just west of downtown Tucson, Arizona. Well-preserved remains of the late eighteenth century Spanish period mission and mission gardens were also revealed on the western side of the river, as was a portion of the Tucson Presidio, founded in 1775, on the eastern side. Territorial period features and artifacts could be associated with Chinese gardeners and residents of a boardinghouse. These findings establish Tucson as one of the oldest continuously occupied settlements in the United States. Public interest in the project was high, with an estimated 5,000 visitors during the course of fieldwork. Exhibits at the Arizona Historical Society, Southern Arizona Division, museum brought the Rio Nuevo project to a much larger audience. The 22 chapters and two appendices of this report summarize the results of fieldwork, providing descriptions of archaeological features and analyses of the artifact assemblages recovered during the project.