Pre-Hispanic Occupance in the Valley of Sonora, Mexico: Archaeological Confirmations of Early Spanish Reports
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Pre-Hispanic Occupance in the Valley of Sonora, Mexico: Archaeological Confirmations of Early Spanish Reports Item Type Book; text Authors Doolittle, William E. Publisher University of Arizona Press (Tucson, AZ) Rights Copyright © Arizona Board of Regents Download date 24/09/2021 00:20:07 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/582060 ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA NUMBER 48 Pre-Hispanic Occupance in the Valley of Sonora, Mexico Archaeological Confirmation of Early Spanish Reports William E. Doolittle THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA PRESS TUCSON 1988 About the Author WILLIAM E. OOOLITILE, a geographer, has conducted field work in northern Mexico, especially in Sonora, and in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. His principal interest is cultural ecology, particularly the analysis of prehistoric and traditional present-day agricultural ecosystems, land use pat terns, and settlements. He obtained Bachelor's degrees in government and geography from Texas Christian University (1974), a Master's degree from the University of Missouri Columbia (1976), and his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Oklahoma (1979). Although his graduate degrees are in geography, he received extensive training in anthropology. He was Assistant Professor of Geology and Geography at Mississippi State University for two years prior to moving to the University of Texas at Austin in 1981, where he is an Associate Professor of Geography. He has published papers on prehistoric and traditional agriculture and agricultural development theory. Cover: Aerial view of the Valley of Sonora near the town of Banamichi. The hilltop feature at center, Cerro Batonapa, is a cerro de trinchera site, Son K:4:220U. (Photo by Edwin J. Surman B.) THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA PRESS Copyright © 1988 The Arizona Board of Regents All Rights Reserved This book was set in 10/12 Linotype CRTronic Times Roman Manufactured in the U.S.A. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Doolittle, William Emery. Pre-Hispanic occupance in the valley of Sonora, Mexico: archaeological confirmation of early Spanish reports (Anthropological papers of the University of Arizona: no. 48) Bibliography p. Includes index. I. Indians of Mexico--Sonora River Valley-Antiquities. 2. Indians of Mexico--Sonora River Valley-Agriculture. 3. Land settlement patterns, Prehistoric-Mexico-Sonora River Valley. 4. Sonora River Valley (Mexico}-Antiquities. 5. Mexico Antiquities. I. TItle. II. Series. FI219.I.S65D66 1988 972' .I7-dc19 87-30040 ISBN 0-8165-1010-5 (alk. paper) British Library Cataloguing in Publication data are available. In Memory of John F. Bobb William M. Comer Ronald L. Doolittle Douglas G. Morton David A. Pearson and the other mates whom I saw fall, and all the others . up against "The Wall." Contents PREFACE vii 4. AGRICULTURE 44 1. EARLY SETTLEMENTS IN NORTHERN MEXICO Crops 44 The Archaeological Evidence Cropping Practices 45 The Ethnohistorical Evidence 2 Agricultural Ecosystems 46 The Role of Occupance Research 4 Agricultural Intensity 50 2. PHYSICAL ENVIRONS 6 5. DEMOGRAPHY 52 The Serrana 6 Population Size 52 The Valley of Sonora 7 Settlement Approach 52 Topography and Drainage 7 Agricultural Approach 53 Climate 10 Population Growth 54 Ecological Zones 10 Population Distribution 55 Arroyos 14 6. OCCUPANCE INTERPRETATIONS 57 Paleoenvironment 14 Agricultural Change 57 Ecological Factors of Agriculture 17 Development of "Statelets" 58 Ecological Factors of Settlement 20 Conclusion 60 3. SETTLEMENTS 23 APPENDIX A. PREHISTORIC HABITATION SITES 63 Structures 23 APPENDIX B. PREHISTORIC AGRICULTURAL SITES AND SPECIAL SITES 67 Special Sites and Structures 29 APPENDIX C. DISTRIBUTION OF HABITATION Communities 34 SITES, AGRICULTURAL SITES, AND SPECIAL Classification 36 SITES IN THE VALLEY OF SONORA, MEXICO 69 Chronology 36 REFERENCES 75 Hierarchies 38 INDEX 85 Settlement Patterns 40 ABSTRACT 88 FIGURES 2.1. The serrana and the Valley of Sonora 6 2.6. Ecological zones 11 2.2. Topography of the Valley of Sonora 8 2.7. Profile of a Haplargid bajada soil 16 2.3. Aerial view of the Valley of Sonora 8 2.8. Floodplain irrigation 18 2.4. A shallow, hand-dug well used to obtain 2.9. Living fencerow 18 drinking water from an arroyo 9 2.10. Temporales fields 19 2.5. Dry season sources of water 9 2.11. A temporal diversion weir and canal 20 [v] vi Contents 2.12. Typical pre-Hispanic settlement location 21 3.23. Site Son K:4:22 au 35 2.13. Site Son K:8:34 au 21 3.24. Distribution of cerros de trincheras in the Valley of Sonora 35 2.14. Slopes unsuitable for the placement of permanent settlements 22 3.25. Site Son K:4: 105 au 35 3.1. Pre-Hispanic surface structure foundation 24 3.26. Comparative regional chronology 37 3.2. Site Son K:4:94 au 24 3.27. Pit-and-groove petroglyphs 37 3.3. Deteriorated adobe surface structure 25 3.28. A one-hand Cochise-type metate 37 3.4. Schematic of a typical surface structure 25 3.29. Early phase settlement sizes 38 3.5. Rectangular triple rows of rocks that are 3.30. Sites Son K:4:32 au and Son K:4: 110 au 38 typical surface evidence of probable 3.31. Late phase settlement sizes 39 multiple-story structures 26 3.32. Sites Son K:4:20 au and Son K:4: 120 au 39 3.6. Surface depression indicative of a house-in-pit 27 3.33. Site Son G: 16:27 au 40 3.7. Site Son K:4:49 au 27 3.34. Distribution of early phase settlements in the Valley of Sonora 40 3.8. Rock ring indicative of a house-in-pit 28 3.35. Distribution of late phase settlements in the 3.9. Site Son K:4: 130 au 28 Valley of Sonora 41 3.10. Schematic of a typical house-in-pit 28 4.1. Glyph map depicting a portion of a pre-Hispanic 3.11. Rock mound that may have served as a canal irrigation system in the Valley house platform 29 of Sonora 46 3.12. Sites Son K:4:24 au and Son K:4:72 au 30 4.2. Comparison of the glyph map with a map of the actual floodplain and irrigation systems 3.13. Mounded rubble forming one side of a made from aerial photographs 47 possible ballcourt (Son K:4:24 aU) 30 4.3. Diversion weir for floodplain irrigation 47 3.14. Schematic of possible ball courts 30 4.4. Remnant channel-bottom weir terrace 48 3.15. Site Son K:4: 16 au 31 4.5. A series of channel-bottom weir terraces 49 3.16. Surface remains of a pre-Hispanic enclosure (Son K:4: 16 aU) 31 5.1. Population growth 55 3.17. Site Son K:4: 127 au 31 6.1. Stepwise development of agriculture 58 3.18. Schematic of pre-Hispanic enclosures 31 c.!. Sites near the present-day pueblo of Banamichi 70 3.19. Possible pre-Hispanic signal site 32 C.2. Sites near the present-day pueblo of Huepac 71 3.20. Distribution of possible signal sites in the Valley of Sonora 32 C.3. Sites near the present-day pueblo of Aconchi 72 3.21. Enclosure walls of a cerro de trinchera, C.4. Sites near the present-day pueblo Cerro Batonapa 33 of Baviacora 73 3.22. Aerial view of Cerro Batonapa C.5. Sites near the present-day congregacion (Son K:4:22 aU) 34 of La Cap ilia 74 TABLES 2.1. Common plants of major 4.1. Index of agricultural technology 50 economic value by ecological zone 12 5.1. Population distribution 56 2.2. Profile of a Haplargid bajada soil 16 5.2. Land support units per household 56 Preface We remain a part of the organic world, and as we inter gathered as part of the Rio Sonora Project. Many, however, vene more and more decisively to change the balance have been obtained since the termination of that project. and nature of life, we have also more need to know, by Grants from the University Research Institute, The Univer retrospective study, the responsibilities and hazards of our present and our prospects as lords of creation (Sauer sity of Texas at Austin, facilitated collection and analyses of 1969: 104). these data, as well as manuscript typing. Archaeological and ethnohistorical data on agriculture are in some respects in The Valley of Sonora is a region in which Carl Ortwin Sauer complete. Accordingly, ethnographic parallels based on pres (1889-1975) and his students from Berkeley conducted a ent-day traditional agricultural practices in eastern Sonora great deal of work over fifty years ago. With this study, my are used as analogs where necessary. This information was intent was not to replicate the endeavors of my predecessors collected in 1980, 1981, and 1982 as parts of projects funded but rather, with the benefit of five decades worth of addi by the Vice-President for Graduate Studies and Research and tional materials, ideas, and methods, and the perspective the Biological and Physical Sciences Institute, both of Mis that time offered, to reinvestigate items they studied previ sissippi State University; by the Andrew W Mellon Founda ously. James J. Parsons, a prominent member of the Berke tion in conjunction with the Institute of Latin American ley School, partially justified such action when he said: "It Studies of Tulane University; and by the National Science pays to keep going back to an area, a people ... significant Foundation (SES-8200546). phenomena or relationships continue to present themselves" Certain materials included here have been published else (Parsons 1977: 14). I went to the Valley of Sonora, in part at where. For the right to republish I thank the Association of least, to take another look for Mr.