Antiquity of Irrigation in the Southwest

“Antiquity of Irrigation in the Southwest” adult education class with archaeologist Allen Dart, RPA, for OLLI-UA Green Valley members at First American Title, 101 S. La Canada Dr. #24 (in Green Valley Mall), Green Valley, Arizona*

            3:30 to 5 p.m. Open only to Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) members who reside in Green Valley; OLLI-UA Green Valley membership fee of $95 for Fall session or $130 for entire year covers this course

            Preliterate cultures in the American Southwest took advantage of southern Arizona’s long growing season and tackled its challenge of limited precipitation by developing the most extensive irrigation works in all of North America. Agriculture was introduced into southern Arizona more than 4,000 years ago, and irrigation systems were developed here by at least 3,500 years before present – several hundred years before irrigation was established in ancient Mexico. This study session provides an overview of ancient Native American irrigation systems identified by archaeologists in the southern Southwest and discusses their implications for understanding social complexity.

      * This is not an Old Pueblo Archaeology Center-sponsored event. To join Green Valley OLLI visit www.olli.arizona.edu/olli to download a registration and payment form or pay and register online; for information about this course contact Paula Kulina at 602-317-1488 or garlina@cox.net, or Allen Dart at 520-798-1201 or adart@oldpueblo.org.