Home Region: Western North America (North America)

Hohokam Culture

300 CE 1500 CE

D G SC CC

EQ 2020 us_hohokam_culture

Preceding Entity:

No Polity found. Add one here.

Succeeding Entity:

No Polity found. Add one here.

General Description

The term ‘Hohokam’ was applied to the culture group by archaeologists, and is borrowed from the Uto-Aztecan language, O’odham. However it does not refer to a tribe or peoples, but rather a site where there are “earthen buildings, red on buff pottery, and extensive canals”.^[1] Instead the peoples that created and lived in the Hohokam culture are now referred to as ancestral Sonoran Desert people. There is evidence of the Sonoran Desert people being active in the Hohokam sites from around 5,500 BCE, however the Hohokam culture period runs from c. 300-1500 CE.^[2]
Hohokam sites and the people who lived there were based in the “Phoenix Basin along the Gila and Salt Rivers, in southern Arizona along the Santa Cruz and San Pedro Rivers, and north on the Lower Verde River and along the New and Agua Fria Rivers.”^[3] Their settlements can be traced to around 300 CE, and their society flourished for around one thousand years until around 1375 when sites became abandoned, and their sophisticated canal and irrigation systems fell into disrepair. The Sonoran Desert people gradually left their ancestral areas and by 1450, when the Spanish arrived, there were only a few small communities of their descendants remaining in the area.^[4]
Though it is not known exactly what caused the dispersion of these people, speculations have included that there may have been drought, famine, other natural disasters, or internal warfare.^[2] There is also evidence that their extensive canals and irrigation systems suffered widespread erosion from as early as 1020-1160 CE.^[5]
The period of the Hohokam culture are usually divided up as follows:^[6]
Pioneer Period: 150 – 725 CE
Colonial Period (Gila Butte phase): 725 – 825 CE
Colonial Period (Santa Cruz phase): 825 – 1000 CE
Sedentary Period (Sacaton phase): 1000-1100 CE
Classic Period (Soho phase): 1111 - 1300 CE
Classic Period (Civano phase): 1300 - 1450 CE

[1]: ”History & Culture - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HJU2S97P

[2]: “The Ancestral Sonoran Desert People - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service),”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HZ95455H

[3]: “Hohokam Culture (U.S. National Park Service)”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/34YMDDCN

[4]: Barnhart 2018: 144. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/VPVHH2HJ

[5]: Snow et al. 2020: 198. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/5T4C9IQT

[6]: McGuire 2018: 5-6. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/C9FB2IXT

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

3 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

Language

Religion

1 Religious Tradition

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

1 Population of the Largest Settlement

1 Polity Territory

1 Polity Population

1 Largest Communication Distance

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Settlement Hierarchy

1 Religious Level

1 Military Level

1 Administrative Level

Professions

1 Professional Soldier

1 Professional Priesthood

1 Professional Military Officer

1 Source Of Support

Bureaucracy Characteristics

1 Specialized Government Building

1 Merit Promotion

1 Full Time Bureaucrat

1 Examination System

Law

1 Professional Lawyer

1 Judge

1 Formal Legal Code

1 Court

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

1 Market

1 Irrigation System

1 Food Storage Site

1 Drinking Water Supply System

1 Communal Building

1 Symbolic Building

1 Knowledge Or Information Building

1 Entertainment Building

1 Special Purpose House

Transport Infrastructure

1 Road

1 Port

1 Canal

1 Bridge

Special-purpose Sites

1 Mines or Quarry

1 Trading Emporia

1 Enclosure

1 Ceremonial Site

1 Burial Site

1 Other Special Purpose Site

Information / Writing System

1 Written Record

1 Script

1 Phonetic Alphabetic Writing

1 Nonwritten Record

1 Non Phonetic Writing

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Scientific Literature

1 Sacred Text

1 Religious Literature

1 Practical Literature

1 Philosophy

1 Lists Tables and Classification

1 History

1 Fiction

1 Calendar

Information / Money

1 Token

1 Precious Metal

1 Paper Currency

1 Indigenous Coin

1 Foreign Coin

1 Article

1 Store Of Wealth

1 Debt And Credit Structure

Information / Postal System

1 Postal Station

1 General Postal Service

1 Courier

1 Fastest Individual Communication

Information / Measurement System

1 Weight Measurement System

1 Volume Measurement System

1 Time Measurement System

1 Other Measurement System

1 Length Measurement System

1 Geometrical Measurement System

1 Area Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications

Military use of Metals

Projectiles

Handheld weapons

Animals used in warfare

Armor

Naval technology

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.

Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

Crisis Consequence Cases

1 Crisis Consequence

Power Transitions Coding in Progress.

Instability Events Coding in Progress.

General Variables

Identity and Location Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	12 S	300 CE 1500 CE
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Original Name	Hohokam Culture	300 CE 1500 CE
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Alternative Name	Hobokam	300 CE 1500 CE
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Alternative Name	Huhugam	300 CE 1500 CE
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Alternative Name	Huhukam	300 CE 1500 CE
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Temporal Bounds Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	[1100 CE ➜ 1400 CE]
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Duration	[300 CE ➜ 1500 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Language Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Religion Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religious Tradition	unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	- Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Polity Territory	91,402 km²	300 CE 1500 CE
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Polity Population	80,000 people	300 CE 1500 CE
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Largest Communication Distance	- Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	2	300 CE 1500 CE
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Religious Level	1	300 CE 1500 CE
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Military Level	2	300 CE 1500 CE
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Administrative Level	3	300 CE 1500 CE
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Professions Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Source Of Support	unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Merit Promotion	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Examination System	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Law Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Judge	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Court	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present	300 CE 1500 CE
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Irrigation System	Present	300 CE 1500 CE
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Food Storage Site	Present	300 CE 1500 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Present Inferred	300 CE 1500 CE
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Communal Building	Present	300 CE 1500 CE
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Symbolic Building	Transitional (Absent -> Present) Inferred	300 CE 1500 CE
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Knowledge Or Information Building	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Entertainment Building	Present	300 CE 1500 CE
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Special Purpose House	Present	300 CE 1500 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Port	Present Inferred	300 CE 1500 CE
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Canal	Present	300 CE 1500 CE
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Bridge	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Trading Emporia	Present Inferred	300 CE 1500 CE
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Enclosure	Present	300 CE 1500 CE
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Ceremonial Site	Transitional (Absent -> Present) Inferred	300 CE 1500 CE
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Burial Site	Present	300 CE 1500 CE
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Other Special Purpose Site	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Information / Writing System Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Script	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Nonwritten Record	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Sacred Text	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Religious Literature	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Practical Literature	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Philosophy	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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History	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Fiction	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Calendar	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Information / Money Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Precious Metal	Present	300 CE 1500 CE
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Paper Currency	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Foreign Coin	Absent	300 CE 1500 CE
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Article	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Store Of Wealth	Present	300 CE 1500 CE
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Debt And Credit Structure	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Information / Postal System Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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General Postal Service	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Courier	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Fastest Individual Communication	- Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Information / Measurement System Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Weight Measurement System	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Volume Measurement System	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Time Measurement System	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Other Measurement System	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Length Measurement System	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Geometrical Measurement System	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Area Measurement System	Unknown Suspected	300 CE 1500 CE
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Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Military use of Metals Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Projectiles Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Handheld weapons Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Animals used in warfare Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Armor Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Naval technology Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Human Sacrifice Hohokam Culture (us_hohokam_culture)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More