Trincheras

Trincheras (with a capital “T”) refers to a cultural pattern that existed in northern Sonora, Mexico and the southernmost portions of the Southwest from about A.D. 800 – A.D. 1450. Trincheras people farmed the river bottoms of Sonora, supplementing their diet with wild resources from the surrounding hills and mountains. The culture is best known for the terraced hills for which the culture was named (trincheras = entrenchments or fortifications in Spanish). These terraces served as living and garden space, and may also have served a defensive purpose, as the name suggests.