Hohokam Settlement Along the Slopes of the Picacho Mountains, Volume 6: Synthesis and Conclusions

This is the sixth and final volume in the series presenting the results of archaeological investigations of Hohokam sites along Reaches 1 and 2 of the Tucson Aqueduct, Phase A, Project. The project involved the investigation of two prehistoric platform mound communities in the Picacho Mountains area, which prior to these investigations were virtually unknown. The project focused on the Brady Wash community with lesser efforts in the Picacho community. The research efforts represented by the project documented the existence of an atypical Hohokam culture exploiting an arid and marginal environment where traditional Hohokam irrigation practices were not possible and a greater dependence on the gathering of wild plants was necessary for existence. Despite the markedly different subsistence strategies of the Hohokam populations of the Picacho Mountains area, they were clearly well integrated in the Classic period Hohokam regional system and were able to survive in this inhospitable environment longer than in other areas more amenable to large-scale sedentary settlement. In fact, settlement of the Picacho Mountains area may have persisted for some time after the collapse of the regional system. This volume recounts the research and management histories of the project and summarizes and synthesizes specific research topics documented separately in previous volumes. The results of all the archaeological research efforts are placed in perspective in the concluding chapters and the major research questions originally presented in the research design (Volume 1) are addressed along with those that emerged in the course of the project.