Third Thursday Food for Thought – “The Hohokam Landscape during Times of Transition”

Photo by Henry D. Wallace showing partial excavation of the ancient Hohokam settlement at the Pima Animal Care Center, courtesy of Desert Archaeology, Inc.

On Thursday, March 21, 2019, Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s Third Thursday Food for Thought dinner presentation will be “The Hohokam Landscape during Times of Transition” by archaeologist Dr. Michael Lindeman. This free presentation will be held at Karichimaka Mexican Restaurant, 5252 S. Mission Rd., Tucson from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. (Order your own dinner off of the restaurant’s menu at your expense.)

Partially covered by the parking lots and outbuildings of the Pima Animal Care Center (PACC), lay a unique piece of the prehistoric Hohokam landscape. Settlement at PACC can be divided into two distinct episodes. The Tortolita phase (ca. A.D. 570-670) occupation corresponds with the founding of Hohokam villages throughout southern and central Arizona. The Late Rincon/Tanque Verde phase (ca. A.D. 1150-1250) occupation occurred during the transition between the Hohokam pre-Classic and Classic periods. Environmental constraints combined with the existing social landscape likely led to the abandonment of the Tortolita habitation at PACC, but not the place. Investments made in the land and the rights to those lands remained tied to the social group who moved from PACC. Evidence suggests that the floodplain adjacent to PACC continued to be farmed long after habitation at PACC ceased. As pre-Classic villages began to fragment in the 11th and 12th centuries, people returned to the abandoned settlement at PACC, drawn by their long-held ties to the land. New habitation structures were constructed within the old plaza, the physical and social center of the abandoned village. Though not “occupied” for 450 years, the rights to the farmlands associated with the place had been maintained through time. During a time of social stress, the holders of those rights, real or created, returned.

Reservations must be requested AND CONFIRMED before 5 p.m. on the Wednesday before the program date: info@oldpueblo.org or 520-798-1201. PLEASE WAIT TO HEAR FROM OLD PUEBLO WHETHER YOUR RESERVATION HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BEFORE ATTENDING because the Fire Code limits how many guests we can have in the restaurant meeting room. Guests may select and purchase their own dinners from the restaurant’s menu. There is no entry fee but donations will be requested to benefit Old Pueblo’s educational efforts.
      IF YOU WOULD LIKE US TO EMAIL YOU A FLYER with color photos about the above-listed activity send an email to info@oldpueblo.org with “Send March 21 Third Thursday flyer” in your email subject line.

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