Paul Coze

Illustration of Hohokam life

Hohokam is an O'odham or Pima word used by archeologists to identify a group of people that lived in the Sonoran Desert. Hohokam means "those who are gone" or "all used up." What they called themselves is unknown.

Some archeologists think the Hohokam came from a group of hunter/gatherers who moved into the river basins of southern Arizona. Where these people came from is still in question. Some archeologists suggest they came from the south and others think they came from the north. This early group built permanent communities, created pottery, established trade routes and began using agriculture. Archeologists consider these activities to be traits of a distinct culture. No one is sure when the people made the transition from hunting and gathering to farming, but there is evidence in southern Arizona that it may have occurred as early as 3,000 years ago.

The Hohokam were architects, designing and building large structures like the Casa Grande as well as other buildings and walls. But the Hohokam were also farmers and created hundreds of miles of canals to bring water from the river to their fields. Digging the canals was hard work, because of a natural desert soil called caliche . When caliche is dry it's almost as hard as concrete! The Hohokam didn't have metal shovels and picks like we have today, they had to dig the canals with stone tools and digging sticks. Some of the main crops the Hohokam planted in their fields were corn, squash, beans and cotton.

The Hohokam were also artists. They created beautiful pottery and jewelry. Some of the pottery was decorated with geometric designs as well as beautiful drawings of animals and birds. Some Hohokam jewelry was made from seashells from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California. The Hohokam would make the shells into earrings, bracelets, necklaces and rings. The jewelry was unique because some of the shells had etched designs, made from soaking the shell in fermented cactus juice.

What if the Hohokam had stayed in their cities? How would this area be different?

Back - Next