Collaborative Research: Power and Economy at the Marana Mound Site: Structure of an Early Classic Center Near Tucson, Arizona

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With National Science Foundation support Drs. Paul and Suzanne Fish and James Bayman will conduct archaeological research at the Marana Mound site, located in the Tucson Basin of Arizona. Associated with the prehistoric Hohokam culture, the site dates to the early Classic Period (1150-1300 AD) and was occupied for approximately 100 years. The mound site was constructed at a central geographical point and represents the top level within a broader three tier hierarchical community. It is approximately 1.5 km. long and .5 km wide. Because it is not situated in a favorable riverine or upland locale, it received water from a 10 kilometer long canal constructed from the Santa Cruz River. Composed of compounds of ca. 5500 square meters with up to 20 enclosed structures, the site population probably ranged between 500 and 750 people. In a number of ways the site is unique from its smaller counterparts. Not only is it the largest but it also is the only one which contained significant numbers of distant trade items. A neutron activation sourcing study suggests that it, along with two other large sites, participated in a common exchange network that differed from acquisition patterns and ceramic sources in other community settlements. Assemblages recovered from house floors are distinctive in the number and variety of items represented and the high frequency of artifacts linked to craft production and personal ornamentation. Thus there is a marked concentration of imported items and manufacturing activities at the mound site compared to other settlements. While the Marana Mound is distinguished from its smaller counterparts, there appears however to be minimal internal differentiation within the site itself and this finding runs contra to archaeological preconceptions. As site hierarchies emerge and class structure becomes apparent, normally internal differention within individual communities occurs as well. Based on limited evidence from Marana Mound however such did not happen. The team will examine potential differentiation at the site through a four-tiered sampling design focusing on compound clusters, compounds, rooms and trash mounds. Evidence for differential advantage and competitive strategies will be sought in four realms: 1. Access to and consumption of exotic or high value items; 2. Economic activities beyond ordinary subsistence production and consumption; 3. Involvement in external exchange; and 4. Participation in communal or integrative observances as signaled by ritually-related items. This research will provide insight into the paths which led to the rise of complex societies. It shed new light on North American prehistory and provide data of interest to many archaeologists.