← Explore on the interactive map
Hohokam Canal System Expansion
Between about 1041 and 1050 CE, the Hohokam culture of the Sonoran Desert in the North American Southwest continued expanding its sophisticated canal…
Timeline
- 1041–1044Salt River–Gila River confluence area · ArizonaHohokam communities extended main canals drawing from the Salt and Gila rivers into newly cultivated areas, integrating existing waterways and expanding irrigable acreage to provide the water base for subsequent settlement expansion.
- 1044–1048Irrigated districts around Snaketown · ArizonaSecondary distribution canals and check-dam systems were optimized, and the cultivated area of crops such as maize, beans, and cotton expanded significantly, supporting larger-scale populations and craft activities.
- 1048–1050Phoenix Basin · ArizonaMultiple Hohokam communities cooperated to maintain the canal network and allocate irrigation water, further consolidating Classic period socio-economic integration through the expansion of hydraulic infrastructure.
Sources
- A History of the Ancient Southwest — Stephen H. Lekson (2009)
- Hohokam Irrigation Systems — Archaeology Southwest https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/what-we-do/investigations/hohokam/