Shard.
Pottery shard at San Pedro House, Cochise County, Arizona. I did not find this in situ. I suspect it is a bit of Hohokam redware pottery. Its fired finish included tiny bits of pulverized mica that gave it a pleasing sparkle.
Yes, the skies here are often that color blue. And discouraging words are seldom
―if ever―
heard. For that you’ve gotta go into town.
Picture Rocks petroglyph site, at the Redemptorist Renewal Center, Tucson, Arizona.
The rock art here was made by Hohokam people, with panels dominated by animal and anthropomorphic forms. Some figures are currently thought to be solstice markers. The retreat center welcomes visitors who want to see the glyphs, but requests check-in at the office before exploring the site.
I had errands that took me to Mesa last week, and after a lunch of tamales de puerco from my favorite taqueria on that side of the valley, I made my way to the Mesa Grande Cultural Park.
The park is a unit of the Arizona Museum of Natural History, and preserves a platform mound constructed by the Hohokam people between 1100 and 1450 A.D. The mound was a residential and ceremonial structure at the heart of a large Hohokam community on the mesa, on the south bank of the Salt River.
On the day of my visit the mound was occupied by students from Mesa Community College. The college offers an annual class on field archaeology methods. I met Chris Caseldine, a graduate student in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University, who is an assistant instructor for the community college course. While scouting the site for a field exercise for the students, Chris noticed a bit of pottery protruding from the mound, and turned it over to the students for excavation. The pottery bit turned out to be a shattered but complete olla, or water jug, made of caliche clay. No one knows what treasures were taken by early artifact hunters and looters, but this is the first entire olla found at the site since it has been protected as a heritage preserve.
As Chris and I were talking I noticed a potsherd at my feet. Little treasures like this are everywhere at the site. The mound is thought to be largely intact, since most scientific excavation has focused on its periphery. There may be many more notable artifacts to discover. Even so, the modern archaeologist’s dilemma is deciding whether to dig or not to dig, in full awareness that once a hole is made it can’t be undug. The site includes a replica ball court, a feature that culturally ties the Hohokam builders of Mesa Grande to the native cultures of Central America. The actual ball court is now under the parking lot of a neighboring corporate office, where it awaits the attention of some future archaeologist. At least it can’t be gotten at in haste, and if for now it’s beyond the reach of the scientists, it’s also safe from the treasure seekers.
I had errands that took me to Mesa last week, and after a lunch of tamales de puerco from my favorite taqueria on that side of the valley, I made my way to the Mesa Grande Cultural Park.
The park is a unit of the Arizona Museum of Natural History, and preserves a platform mound constructed by the Hohokam people between 1100 and 1450 A.D. The mound was a residential and ceremonial structure at the heart of a large Hohokam community on the mesa, on the south bank of the Salt River.
On the day of my visit the mound was occupied by students from Mesa Community College. The college offers an annual class on field archaeology methods. I met Chris Caseldine, a graduate student in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University, who is an assistant instructor for the community college course. While scouting the site for a field exercise for the students, Chris noticed a bit of pottery protruding from the mound, and turned it over to the students for excavation. The pottery bit turned out to be a shattered but complete olla, or water jug, made of caliche clay. No one knows what treasures were taken by early artifact hunters and looters, but this is the first entire olla found at the site since it has been protected as a heritage preserve.
As Chris and I were talking I noticed a potsherd at my feet. Little treasures like this are everywhere at the site. The mound is thought to be largely intact, since most scientific excavation has focused on its periphery. There may be many more notable artifacts to discover. Even so, the modern archaeologist’s dilemma is deciding whether to dig or not to dig, in full awareness that once a hole is made it can’t be undug. The site includes a replica ball court, a feature that culturally ties the Hohokam builders of Mesa Grande to the native cultures of Central America. The actual ball court is now under the parking lot of a neighboring corporate office, where it awaits the attention of some future archaeologist. At least it can’t be gotten at in haste, and if for now it’s beyond the reach of the scientists, it’s also safe from the treasure seekers.
Stele.
Hohokam petroglyph, at Signal Hill, Saguaro National Park, Arizona.
Stele.
Hohokam petroglyph, at Signal Hill, Saguaro National Park, Arizona.
At Signal Hill, Saguaro National Park, Arizona.
At Signal Hill, Saguaro National Park, Arizona.
Petroglyphs.
Note the damage to the panel, where artifact hunters have chipped away the stone. There are barbarians among us.
Petroglyphs.
Note the damage to the panel, where artifact hunters have chipped away the stone. There are barbarians among us.
Dithyramb 