PHOENIX — An archaeological site containing the remains of a Hohokam settlement dates back to a rarely explored Hohokam era, according to recent dating.
The settlement in Queen Creek, southeast of Phoenix, has preliminarily been dated between A.D. 1400 and 1450, which could make it one of the latest settlements of the mysterious desert dwellers ever identified.
The Hohokam are believed to have lived in the Sonoran Desert between 500 and 1450 before they abruptly disappeared.
But while scholars believe the Hohokam population declined after 1350 or so, "we seem to have a pretty thriving location" in Queen Creek, said Banks Leonard, senior project director for Soil Systems Inc., a Phoenix archaeology company. "Nonetheless, it was abandoned too, eventually."
The Hohokam society appeared to break down toward the end of its existence, with the economy and culture falling apart as the population dwindled, experts say.
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The Hohokam had used up natural resources such as firewood and plants and had exhausted the prime farming soil.
Leonard said the Hohokam way of life "had a negative impact on the environment," even though they appeared to be in touch with the land.
Dating done only recently
Archaeologists have done exploratory work in the area of the Queen Creek location, called the Germann site, since the 1930s, but the dating that showed it may have been one of the latest settlements was done only recently.
A large adobe-walled compound, pottery styles, radiocarbon data and archaeological magnetic dating helped identify the time period. Based on an early analysis, the adobe compound would be the largest construction by the Hohokam that late in their existence, Leonard said.
Earlier, the Hohokam used a red-on-buff pottery decoration. Later, the predominant decoration was polychrome: red, black and white or cream. The Germann site includes a high percentage of the latter.
The settlement also distinguishes itself in other ways. The Hohokam generally built near a major river or canal system, but this find doesn't have a major waterway and is placed on the Queen Creek alluvial fan.
"This is a different sort of Hohokam occupation that we have been not so aware of, and we are surprised by how much activity and how much occupation was occurring out here in this flat, alluvial fan," Leonard said.
Archaeologists have removed about 30 human remains in the area and expect to find at least another 30. The remains will be handed over to the Gila River Indian Community.
"I was glad that these things could be discovered and removed rather than being bulldozed and built on top of," said Jim Power, whose grandparents, James and Sarah Power, homesteaded the land in 1908.
