An Intensive Survey of Prehistoric Dry Farming Systems Near Tumamoc Hill in Tucson, Arizona

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Abstract
An intensive survey was performed on a series of small bajadas immediately west of Tumamoc Hill in Tucson, Arizona. Material ranging in age from the Chiricahua stage of the Cochise culture (3500 to 1500 B.C.) to recent historic Anglo was recorded. Many isolated artifacts, “limited activity areas,” and “processing sites” were located, most of which date from a time transitional between the Rillito and Rincon phases (A.D.850 to 1000) of the Hohokam culture. Large numbers of dry farming features, including rock piles, check dams, contour terraces, bordered gardens, and channeling borders were observed. These features most likely date to the Rillito/Rincon phase transition, and represent a broad change from previous Hohokam settlement and subsistence patterns. The role of agriculture in Rillito/Rincon phase settlement systems is discussed, and it is hypothesized that the disruption of agricultural productivity by major climatic fluctuations in the middle of the Sedentary period was a causal factor for the later development of southern Arizona's “cerros de trincheras.”