Who were the Hohokam people?

The Hohokam were prehistoric North American Indians who inhabited the semiarid region of present-day central and southern Arizona from approximately 200 to 1400 CE, primarily along the Gila and Salt rivers. The term Hohokam is Pima for "those who have vanished." Their culture is divided into four periods: Pioneer, Colonial, Sedentary, and Classic. They lived in villages of wood, brush, and clay structures built over shallow pits, cultivating corn and other crops, supplemented by wild foods and hunting. The Hohokam are known for their complex irrigation canal networks, an unsurpassed engineering feat in pre-Columbian North America, and their pottery development.

Where did the Hohokam live?

The Hohokam culture, a prehistoric North American Indian culture, thrived from approximately 200 to 1400 CE in the semi-arid region of present-day central and southern Arizona, mainly along the Gila and Salt rivers. The term Hohokam is derived from the Pima language, meaning "those who have vanished". During the Pioneer Period (200–775 CE), the Hohokam resided in villages with scattered structures made of wood, brush, and clay, built over shallow pits. They cultivated corn, gathered wild beans and fruits, and hunted. They developed complex canal networks for irrigation, an unparalleled feat in pre-Columbian North America. The Akimel O’odham (Pima) are considered the successors to the Hohokam in the Phoenix area.

What kinds of homes did the Hohokam build?

The Hohokam people, who lived in present-day Arizona from approximately 200 to 1400 CE, resided in villages of scattered structures made of wood, brush, and clay, each built over a shallow pit during their Pioneer Period. As time went on, the Hohokam constructed pit houses that were slightly better reinforced. During the Classic Period (approximately 1150 to sometime between 1350 and 1450), they began building great multiple-storied community houses with massive adobe walls, along with the older pit houses. Some houses were also built on top of platform mounds. Other groups such as the River Yuman lived in houses made of log frameworks covered with sand, brush, or wattle-and-daub.

How did the Hohokam get water for farming in the desert?

The Hohokam people, who lived in present-day central and southern Arizona from approximately 200 to 1400 CE, were skilled farmers in a semiarid environment. They developed complex canal networks to direct river water to their fields, an achievement unsurpassed in pre-Columbian North America. During the Pioneer Period (200–775 CE), they constructed the first irrigation canal, a 3-mile channel in the Gila River valley. Over time, they made canals narrower and deeper to minimize water loss. The Hohokam also farmed along the Salt River using canal irrigation. Some canals were renovated and reused in the 20th century.

What types of art and crafts did the Hohokam make?

The Hohokam people, who lived in present-day Arizona from approximately 200 to 1450 CE, were known for their pottery and other crafts. They created pottery figures, often of nude women, for religious purposes. Most of this pottery is buff with iron red decorations, though some are gray. The Hohokam also developed the art of casting copper bells in wax molds. Later, the art of basketry was added to their crafts.

Hohokam culture

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prehistoric farming cultures of southwestern North America

Hohokam petroglyphs etched on large sunlit rocks, with saguaro cacti and Signal Hill visible in the Sonoran Desert landscape of Saguaro National Park, Arizona.

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Hohokam culture summary

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Hohokam culture

prehistoric North American Indian culture

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Who were the Hohokam people?
The Hohokam were prehistoric North American Indians who inhabited the semiarid region of present-day central and southern Arizona from approximately 200 to 1400 CE, primarily along the Gila and Salt rivers. The term Hohokam is Pima for "those who have vanished." Their culture is divided into four periods: Pioneer, Colonial, Sedentary, and Classic. They lived in villages of wood, brush, and clay structures built over shallow pits, cultivating corn and other crops, supplemented by wild foods and hunting. The Hohokam are known for their complex irrigation canal networks, an unsurpassed engineering feat in pre-Columbian North America, and their pottery development.
1 Britannica Source
1. Hohokam culture
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Where did the Hohokam live?
The Hohokam culture, a prehistoric North American Indian culture, thrived from approximately 200 to 1400 CE in the semi-arid region of present-day central and southern Arizona, mainly along the Gila and Salt rivers. The term Hohokam is derived from the Pima language, meaning "those who have vanished".

During the Pioneer Period (200–775 CE), the Hohokam resided in villages with scattered structures made of wood, brush, and clay, built over shallow pits. They cultivated corn, gathered wild beans and fruits, and hunted. They developed complex canal networks for irrigation, an unparalleled feat in pre-Columbian North America. The Akimel O’odham (Pima) are considered the successors to the Hohokam in the Phoenix area.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What kinds of homes did the Hohokam build?
The Hohokam people, who lived in present-day Arizona from approximately 200 to 1400 CE, resided in villages of scattered structures made of wood, brush, and clay, each built over a shallow pit during their Pioneer Period.

As time went on, the Hohokam constructed pit houses that were slightly better reinforced. During the Classic Period (approximately 1150 to sometime between 1350 and 1450), they began building great multiple-storied community houses with massive adobe walls, along with the older pit houses. Some houses were also built on top of platform mounds. Other groups such as the River Yuman lived in houses made of log frameworks covered with sand, brush, or wattle-and-daub.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did the Hohokam get water for farming in the desert?
The Hohokam people, who lived in present-day central and southern Arizona from approximately 200 to 1400 CE, were skilled farmers in a semiarid environment. They developed complex canal networks to direct river water to their fields, an achievement unsurpassed in pre-Columbian North America.

During the Pioneer Period (200–775 CE), they constructed the first irrigation canal, a 3-mile channel in the Gila River valley. Over time, they made canals narrower and deeper to minimize water loss. The Hohokam also farmed along the Salt River using canal irrigation. Some canals were renovated and reused in the 20th century.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What types of art and crafts did the Hohokam make?
The Hohokam people, who lived in present-day Arizona from approximately 200 to 1450 CE, were known for their pottery and other crafts. They created pottery figures, often of nude women, for religious purposes. Most of this pottery is buff with iron red decorations, though some are gray.

The Hohokam also developed the art of casting copper bells in wax molds. Later, the art of basketry was added to their crafts.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Writing on the rocksPetroglyphs created by the prehistoric Hohokam people, who lived from about 200 to 1400 ce, Saguaro National Park, Arizona.

Hohokam culture, prehistoric North American Indians who lived approximately from 200 to 1400 ce in the semiarid region of present-day central and southern Arizona, largely along the Gila and Salt rivers. The term Hohokam is said to be Pima for “those who have vanished.” The culture is customarily divided into four developmental periods: Pioneer (200–775 ce), Colonial (775–975), Sedentary (975–1150), and Classic (from approximately 1150 to sometime between 1350 and 1450).

During the Pioneer Period the Hohokam lived in villages composed of widely scattered, individually built structures of wood, brush, and clay, each built over a shallow pit. They depended on the cultivation of corn (maize), supplemented by the gathering of wild beans and fruits and some hunting. Although floodwater irrigation may have been practiced earlier, it was during this period that the first irrigation canal was built—a 3-mile (5-km) channel in the Gila River valley that directed river water to the fields. The Hohokam’s development of complex canal networks in the following millennium was unsurpassed in pre-Columbian North America; this agricultural engineering was one of their greatest achievements. During the Pioneer Period they also developed several varieties of pottery.

During the subsequent Colonial Period, Hohokam culture expanded to influence all of what is now the southern half of Arizona. Village architecture changed little, except for the addition of ball courts similar to those of the Maya. Cotton was added to corn as a major crop, and irrigation canals proliferated; the Hohokam began to make canals narrower and deeper in order to minimize water loss through ground absorption and evaporation. Pottery improved, becoming thinner and stronger, and styles were borrowed from neighbouring peoples.

A dancer in a bright pink shawl with fringe, wearing traditional regalia adorned with blue and black accents, performs at an outdoor cultural event.

Hohokam culture

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