Prehistoric Agricultural Activities on the Lehi-Mesa Terrace: Excavations at La Cuenca del Sedimento
Creators: name: Brin, Adam
Publisher: name: Northland Research, Inc.
Year: 1989
Subjects: subject: Tempe, AZ
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/77287/tempe-az
subject: Arizona (State / Territory)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/79515/arizona-state-territory
subject: Historic
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/5728/historic
subject: Hohokam Pioneer period
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/171/hohokam-pioneer-period
subject: Early Classic Period
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/5628/early-classic-period
subject: Red Mountain
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/6364/red-mountain
subject: Hohokam
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/21/hohokam
subject: La Cuenca del Sedimento
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/81872/la-cuenca-del-sedimento
subject: AZ U:9:71 (ASM)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/83599/az-u971-asm
subject: AZ U:9:69 (ASM)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/81874/az-u969-asm
subject: AZ U:9:68 (ASM)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/81875/az-u968-asm
subject: Domestic Structures
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/256/domestic-structures
subject: Archaeological Feature
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/339/archaeological-feature
subject: Pit
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/355/pit
subject: Field House
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/595/field-house
subject: Artifact Scatter
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/340/artifact-scatter
subject: Refuse Pit
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/356/refuse-pit
subject: Roasting Pit / Oven / Horno
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/357/roasting-pit-oven-horno
subject: Hearth
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/343/hearth
subject: Shade Structure / Ramada
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/266/shade-structure-ramada
subject: Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/251/domestic-structure-or-architectural-complex
subject: Farmstead
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/747/farmstead
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: Glass
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/6/glass
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: Outer Loop Freeway
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/151005/outer-loop-freeway
subject: Data Recovery / Excavation
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/5/data-recovery-excavation
subject: Site Evaluation / Testing
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/10/site-evaluation-testing

description: This study is the first of two volumes that describe the results of archaeological investigations undertaken within the Tempe Section of the Outer Loop Freeway system. This work was funded by the Arizona Department of Transportation and conducted under Contract 86-102. Three sites were investigated as part of this project, including La Cuenca del Sedimento, a farmstead/fieldhouse site, and AZ U:9:69(ASM) and AZ U:9:71(ASM). All three sites were crossed by portions of the Las Acequias-Los Muertos irrigation system, and canals were the primary cultural constituents of AZ U:9:69 and AZ U:9:71. The sites were located on the south side of the Salt River; La Cuenca del Sedimento lay at the interface between the river floodplain and the first (Lehi) terrace, whereas AZ U:9:69 and AZ U:9:71 were situated farther south on the second (Mesa) terrace. This volume concentrates on the findings at La Cuenca del Sedimento. Research is focused on determining the nature of the site, particularly of the occupational contexts, discerning the range of activities conducted there, and defining the spatial configuration and temporal duration of those contexts. A second objective, which builds upon the first, involves consideration of Hohokam land use patterns as revealed across the Tempe Outer Loop corridor. It is determined that La Cuenca del Sedimento was an agricultural settlement that was first occupied during the Red Mountain phase of the Hohokam chronology. Occupation or utilization of the site continued through the early Classic period. During this temporal interval, a transition in the form of agricultural activity is evident. During the Pioneer period, a seasonal farmstead occupation appears to be represented. By post-Pioneer times, utilization of the site is even more temporary, with intermittent use of fieldhouses and processing features. These contrasts indicate changes in settlement and land use patterns from the Pioneer to post-Pioneer periods.