Hohokam Irrigation Longevity and Agricultural Success in the Lower Salt River Valley, Arizona
[Thesis]
Caseldine, Christopher Robert
Abbott, David R.
Arizona State University
2020
767
Ph.D.
Arizona State University
2020
The primary focus of this research is the poorly understood relationship between water insufficiency and broad-scale social change, in the semi-arid lower Salt River Valley, in central Arizona. The overarching research question guiding this research is if water insufficiency could have prompted sociopolitical change among the Hohokam. Specifically, the research investigates if long-term water deficits were a catalyst for the two most consequential transformations in Hohokam history - the Preclassic/Classic transition (A.D. 1070-1100/1150) and the early to late Classic period transition (ca. A.D. 1300).