Hohokam canal site unearthed at ASU dig
It will be studied, then filled in to make way for dorms, college
Kristi Eaton
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 2, 2007 12:00 AM Archaeologists have uncovered canals dating back as far as the year 1000 on an Arizona State University construction site that was already embroiled in controversy.
And like the iconic gold-domed Valley National Bank building torn down on the site in February, the canals on the northwestern corner of Apache Boulevard and Rural Road in Tempe will be destroyed to make way for a new residence hall and honors college.
Samples were taken from the canals and will be sent to local laboratories for analysis. Pottery found at the site will be given to ASU's Archaeological Research Institute. The canals, which have three soil marks indicating different time periods, will be filled in to construct the $100 million Barrett Honors College. advertisement
"What we're after is data," said Glen Rice of Rio Salado Archaeology and an ASU emeritus faculty member in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change. "We're not after the objects per se."
The two canals from the Hohokam time period were unearthed in July at the site. Mark Jacobs, dean of the Barrett Honors College, said he had not been aware of the excavation, but thinks the canals could be used as a teaching tool.
"To me, having students know the Hohokam canals went right under their school is amazing," he said. "It's great teaching opportunity for any student coming to ASU."
The canals show that the land was most likely used for agriculture fields and wasn't home to an entire village. Two field houses were found along one canal. Field houses were small structures made of branches and mud that housed the people while they tended to the land.
"Maybe a mom and a few kids lived out there to weed," Rice said. "Or two teenage boys. But not a whole family."
The canals were constructed to carry large amounts of water from the Salt and Gila rivers. The inhabitants used the water to grow food, Rice said.
"Corn, beans, squash were their first priority," he said.
Occasionally, Rice said, they may have grown cotton or tobacco.
ASU and archaeologists from Rio Salado Archaeology expected to find the canals because of maps made in the 1920s that pinpointed their locations, Rice said.
He said the closest village to these canals is believed to have been at the base of Tempe Butte, where approximately 500 people had lived.
Because the land is owned by the state, ASU was required to test the land to see if there was any historic significance to it.
Once it was determined there was, archaeologists worked for about a month excavating the canals and pottery, Rice said.
But while the canals are the earliest ancient structures found on the site, the removal of Valley National Bank's gold dome has so far caused the most controversy.
The bank was built in 1962 and was listed on the Arizona Preservation Foundation's 2006 list of "Properties to Watch." It was one of six or seven dome structures in the state.
ASU purchased the property in 1989 and used it as a visitor's center. When the building was demolished in February despite opposition from a number of historians and Tempe residents, the dome was disassembled and put in storage. ASU staff has said it will be incorporated into the residence halls under construction south of Apache Boulevard.
"Like most who care about Tempe and its history, I think it's a great tragedy and a needless tragedy that we lost the dome," said Vic Linoff, an advisory board member of the Tempe Historical Museum.
"There were a lot of opportunities to take advantage of this unique heritage piece and incorporate it into the Barrett Honors College."
Linoff said he was not surprised to hear that canals were uncovered at the site.
"As a result of light rail and transit (construction), we're very much aware there's a lot more history than we've seen," he said.
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