Archaeological Investigation of the Granite Reef Aqueduct, Cave Creek Archaeological District, Arizona

The following report contains the description and interpretation of archaeological data recovered from AZ T: 8:31 (ASU), AZ T:8:35 (ASU), and AZ T:8:38 (ASU). Situated within south-central Arizona, these sites form an integral part of the Cave Creek ArchaeologicalDistrict. Impact on these cultural resources will result from construction along Reach 10 of the Granite Reef Aqueduct, a feature of the Central Arizona Project. A plan to mitigate this adverse impact through a program of research was developed by the Bureau of Reclamation and approved by the State Historic Preservation Officer and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. The research was undertaken and completed by the Office of Cultural Resource Management, Department of Anthropology, Arizona State University.
The Cave Creek Archaeological District contains a total of 25 sites reflecting varied domestic and subsistence activities. The majority of these sites form a homogeneous archaeological complex that suggests Hohokam expansion from the Salt River Valley. Local occupation was permanent but limited to less than 150 years. Relative and chronometric dating techniques bracket this occupancy between A.D . 1010 and 1130. An appended portion of this report employs palynological information to equate the initial use of the Cave Buttes area with a climatic period of increased moisture. Local prehistoric abandonment suggests an inability to cope with a subsequent climatic shift to more xeric conditions.