Vanishing River Volume 4: Chapter 14: Prehistoric Settlement and Demography in the Lower Verde Region

In Chapter 14, Ciolek-Torello presents one of the first full syntheses of indigenous settlement and demographic patterns in the Verde Valley, without reference to interaction in the Hohokam core area. He begins with a summary of prehistoric settlement patterns from pre-ceramic periods through the Late Classic period across the entire Transition Zone of central Arizona. He then characterizes settlement systems in the lower Verde Valley through time and describes the archaeological sites and features that comprise these patterns. Next, he derives population estimates for settlement in the area. He compares these estimates to the carrying capacity figures that Van West and Altschul calculate in Chapter 9. Finally, Ciolek-Torello concludes with a discussion of changes in settlement and subsistence systems in the Verde Valley through time. He considers these changes in relation to patterns in surrounding areas of central Arizona.