Isolated But Not Alone: The Utility of Hohokam Isolated Occurrences from Florence Military Reservation, Middle Gila River Valley, Arizona

Abstract

The nature of Hohokam-related (A.D. 300-1450) isolated occurrences is still poorly understood in the middle Gila River Valley of southern Arizona. In this study, isolated occurrence data from Florence Military Reservation is classified to discern the range of cultural activities across different topographic settings in lower-lying terrace and more elevated upland, or bajada zones. While terrace-based isolated occurrences reflect a focus upon lithic procurement and quarrying tasks, topographic settings in bajada zones produce artifact and feature distributions more oriented toward wild plant and farming activities. Although isolated occurrence data closely mirror Hohokam site-specific distributions, new information has become available which significantly increases our understanding of changes to pre-Classic and Classic period settlement patterns. This study also demonstrates that isolated occurrence data should receive increased attention and scrutiny, and that recommendations are made for the standardization of both isolated occurrence and site definitions across the region.