MOVERS OF EARTH: CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF PREHISTORIC CANAL SYSTEMS IN ARIZONA

Prehistoric canals and related water-control features date as early as 1500 B.C. in Arizona and constitute important pre-Columbian earthworks. Geoarchaeological study including stratigraphic, sedimentological, hydraulic, and chronometric analyses of these features has contributed to understanding their construction, maintenance, and use history. Such information provides a foundation for addressing higher-level theoretical concerns such as labor requirements, food production potential, and sociopolitical organization. Stratigraphic and sedimentological study of prehistoric canals and reservoirs also provides insight into the paleohydrology of desert streams that have been heavily altered by historic water diversions and groundwater pumping. I will review the geological and hydraulic characteristics of prehistoric canals and reservoirs in south-central Arizona, discuss what has been learned from their geoarchaeological study, and propose future research to better understand these anthropogenic hydrologic systems.