From the air, the patterns of a well-preserved canal and field system stand readily exposed. A worker, upper middle left, gives scale to the discovery. [courtesy of henry d. wallace]
Posted on 09/30/2009 7:49:47 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
The discovery of a prehistoric irrigation system in the Marana desert is giving archaeologists a deeper glimpse into one of the first groups of people to farm in the Tucson basin. "What we're looking at is, perhaps, the earliest sedentary village life in the Southwest with people depending on agriculture as a primary food source," said project director Jim Vint. For more than 3,000 years, an elaborate ancient irrigation system has remained hidden deep beneath the sand in Marana. In January, excavation at the Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility at Ina Road and Interstate 10 revealed the ancient irrigation system. It is said to be the most intricate system of its kind uncovered in North America. "We've uncovered dozens of these fields. We can see the actual holes where they planted the corn in many instances" geologist Fred Nials said. "We can completely reconstruct their irrigation system." ...The field system, which spans about 60 to 80 acres, is just downstream from where the Cañada del Oro and Rillito join the Santa Cruz River. The site was revealed by scraping away thin layers in broad 7-foot sections using a backhoe... The group has now discovered more than 200 individual maize fields and more than 170 canals of various sizes throughout six major layers of sediment. The topmost or most recent layer dates to 800 B.C., and the sixth layer, which is about 13 feet underground, dates to about 1200 B.C.
(Excerpt) Read more at azstarnet.com ...
From the air, the patterns of a well-preserved canal and field system stand readily exposed. A worker, upper middle left, gives scale to the discovery. [courtesy of henry d. wallace]
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Arheological Ping to Irrigated Agriculture circa 1200 BC.
Tucson Basin
I guess that puts the 30 year overdue sewage treatment plant on hold (again).
NE Greater Tuscon metro; Kino.
About 50-55 miles SSE of, and several centuries earlier than, the Hohokam of Casa Grande, ca 400 AD -> ca 1450.
They are calling these canal building farmers pre-Hohokam, but I have to wonder just how closely related the two groups were, or if only the irrigation systems are similar. I'd like to know more about this people, but didn't find much Googling.
"Hunter": old Indian word for "poor farmer". *<}:-^)
Correction.. “Farmer” is the word for “Bad Hunter”
This reminds me of something...
Thay, dat reminds me...wabbit season opened a month ago; turkey & elk season opened today; antelope season opens this weekend; then deer season opens. I need another fweezer!
Undoubtedly some liberal judge made the people fill them in to save the smelt! Sarc/off
I'm wondering the same thing. Seems that not much is known about them at present.
:’D
Thanks ApplegateRanch. Interesting.
Interesting. Thanks for this posting!
My pleasure. Without knowing any more than is in the article, I’d make a wild and unsubstantiated guess that this canal system sprawled much wider than they’ve found so far. :’)
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![From the air, the patterns of a well-preserved canal and field system stand readily exposed. A worker, upper middle left, gives scale to the discovery. [courtesy of henry d. wallace]](http://www.azstarnet.com/ss/2009/09/27/310755-1.jpg)