Least Cost Paths and Movement in Tonto Basin, Central Arizona

Abstract

Perched high above Roosevelt Lake in Tonto Basin, central Arizona, the Upper and Lower Tonto Cliff Dwellings have been commonly excluded from archaeological narratives for the basin. Although one of the few sizeable settlements inhabited in Tonto Basin during the Gila phase (A.D. 1350–1450), the cliff dwellings fell outside the boundaries of several large cultural resource management projects, and are a settlement type atypical for the basin. A disconnect between studies of the Tonto Cliff Dwellings and the rest of the basin therefore exists. Least cost paths (LCPs) are therefore calculated from the Tonto Cliff Dwellings to settlements around Arizona to identify and contextualize possible travel routes between Tonto Basin and beyond. It is argued that reconstructing and refining travel in the ancient Southwest requires the creation of multiple LCPs among multiple start and end points, verification through artifact and feature documentation, and insights from traditional knowledge.