Pollen Analysis of Agricultural Terraces on La Plata Mesa, Agua Fria National Monument, Yavapai County, Arizona (2007)

Agricultural terraces from two sites on Perry Mesa (La Plata and Bull Tank) and one site at the north edge of Black Mesa (Richinbar Ruin) were investigated using pollen analysis. The samples are listed in Table 1 by site and context. The sites are located on mesas bounding canyons containing the headwaters of the Agua Fria River. Native populations of Agave parryi grown on the mesas and around sites grow hybrid agaves (Agave chrysantha x A. parryi) that are living artifacts of pre-Columbian agave farming (Wendy Hodgson, personal communication May
2005). Previous archaeobotanical investigations in the region have documented agave and maize remains in addition to other native resources (Cummings and Puseman 1995; Fish 1980).