A Review of Food Foraging and Production In Early Agricultural Communities in Southern Arizona

We review the current evidence regarding the introduction and use of maize and other cultigens in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona during the Early Agricultural Period, BC 2,000–AD 50. We examine the current findings regarding the kinds and amounts of plants and animals consumed, and irrigation used to intensify food production. We further review the range of opinions regarding the degree of residential sedentism or mobility, the relative emphases on foraging versus food production, evidence for anthropogenic landscape change, and their relevance for social organization.