Hohokam
The Hohokam are thought to have emigrated from Mexico to Arizona around 300 B.C. These people were best known for the irrigation canals they built. In fact, their neighbors and descendents commonly referred to them as the "Canal Builders". Some of these ancient canals are still in use in Phoenix, Arizona today. The Hohokam were also known for their intricate working of shells obtained from the Gulf of California and the Pacific Coast.
This culture was both an agricultural and hunter/gatherer society.
The Hohokam grew corn, beans, squash, and cotton near their villages, and
hunted deer, rabbit, squirrel, and various fowl. They also supplemented their
diet with native plants gathered from the desert. A good example of this
culture is found at the
Snaketown
site.
The Hohokam enjoyed a thriving and peaceful trade with their neighbors,
the
Anasazi and the Mogollen. They placed a great value on shells and
traded several other cultures for the prized shells. They also traded for
parrots and macaws, whose feathers were probably used in religious ceremonies,
copper bells, and iron pyrite.
The Hohokam gradually lost their ties to their homeland and mingled more with the Mogollan people to their north. By 1500 A.D., the Hohokam culture had changed and split into two Indian cultures, the Pimas and Papagos. These people were encountered by the Spanish in 1600 A.D.
Links:
Hohokam Indians of the Tucson Basin--an online book with illustrations on the Hohokam
More Cultures