The Agricultural Landscape of Perry Mesa: Modeling Residential Site Location in Relation to Arable Land

The prevailing interpretations of settlement patterns in the Perry Mesa region of central Arizona (ca. A.D. 1275-1400) focus on the defensive posture of the large aggregated villages. Other factors that may have influenced the locations of residential settlements, such as the distribution of agricultural land, have not been fully explored. This study addresses these issues by examining the relationship between residential site size and the distribution of agricultural land. The environmental settle of known agricultural sites in the region was used to develop a landscape scale model that identified areas of potential runoff agricultural land. The locations of residential sites of different size classes were compared to the model. Results indicate that although defense may have been a consideration in the placement of residential sites, the distribution of agricultural land was also an important factor in the growth and development of these communities.