![]() ![]() The 12th and 13th centuries CE were pivotal in the formation and subsequent cultural development of the indigenous peoples of the ancient Southwest. (Unfortunately, the construction of this same lake destroyed innumerable archaeological remnants from the Salado culture as well.) It is generally believed that a high level of cross-cultural exchange occurred in the region between the Mogollon and Hohokam people before the arrival of any newcomers. Many archaeological remains and artifacts belonging to the Mogollon and Hohokam were destroyed due to the construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Lake reservoir and a masonry dam in 1911 CE. Despite the presence of pottery remains that attests to the fact that the Hohokam occupied the Tonto Basin for at least 300 years, archaeologists and historians are divided on whether or not the Hohokam people eventually left the region to return to the Phoenix Basin sometime around 1150 CE. The Hohokam constructed their ubiquitous pit-houses, built complex irrigation canals, and cultivated maize, squash, beans, and cotton. The Hohokam moved into the Tonto Basin from around what is now the vicinity of the modern city of Phoenix, Arizona between c. 100-600 CE, when the peoples belonging to the Mogollon settled the eastern parts of this region and left pottery shards as evidence of their presence. Permanent occupation, however, dates from c. ![]() Several Paleo-Indian mammoth kill sites are located in what was once considered the Salado heartland, and there are signs that indigenous peoples constructed small cliff dwellings as early as c. (Their spectacular emergence is commonly referred to as the "Salado Phenomenon" by academics.) The work of archaeologists in recent years has shown that humans have inhabited the Tonto Basin since c. The lands that the Salado culture came to occupy witnessed human inhabitation long before the emergence of the Salado. It is generally believed that a high level of cross-cultural exchange occurred in the region between the Mogollon & Hohokam people before the arrival of any newcomers. Wild game is thus also plentiful: deer, rabbits, and quail frequent the area. There are even pinyon and juniper bushes at higher elevations, in addition to other flowering plants that produce nuts and fruit. The land therein is surprisingly fertile, and a diverse array of flora grows in a series of interlinked microenvironments: walnut trees, sycamore, mesquite saguaro cacti, and jojoba are all found in this region. The Salt River runs through eastern Arizona, slicing through the White Mountains until it intersects with the Gila River in what is now central Arizona. The area in and around the Tonto Basin forms part of a large intermountain basin, which facilitated human settlement as it was rich in natural resources. The US archaeologist Harold Gladwin (1883-1983 CE) was the first to analyze these cultural traits and a shared artistic style in the 1920s CE, and he referred to this indigenous culture as the "Salado." The name stems from the Salt River (Spanish: Río Salado), which flows through the valley of their cultural genesis. Among the ancient cultures of the US Southwest, the Salado culture is especially noted for its stunning iconographic designs and pottery production. Although scholarly debate continues as to the exact origins of the Salado culture, as well as how it disappeared, there is some consensus among scholars and archaeologists that the Salado culture had distinctive art, architectural traditions, and burial practices that distinguish them from their Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi), Mogollon, and Hohokam neighbors. 1200-1450 CE in the Tonto Basin of what is now the southern parts of the present-day US states of Arizona and New Mexico. The Salado culture is a term used by historians and archaeologists to describe a pre-Columbian Southwestern culture that flourished from c. ![]()
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