Search

This report presents the results of an archaeological testing and data recovery program conducted in approximately one-half acre of land in central Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona. The work was conducted at the request of the City of Phoenix, Neighborhood Services Department under an on-call archaeological services contract between the City and SWCA, Inc. (Contract no. 101005). The archaeological investigations were conducted in advance of the Sojourner Center development project due to a mapped prehistoric canal passing through the project area. This phase of the development is a HUD funded project so compliance with section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act is required. The project was assigned the number PGM 2004-15 by the City of Phoenix Archaeology Section. Files were checked at the Pueblo Grande Museum (PGM) to determine the location of any previous archaeological sites or archaeological work in and around the project area. City of Phoenix employee April Cummings, of the Pueblo Grande Museum, conducted the literature review and provided all supporting and necessary documentation to SWCA. One prehistoric canal was mapped in the project area in the early 20th century as passing through the project area. The testing phase of the project positioned two trenches in order to locate the canal. No canal features were located but an isolated prehistoric pit house with a hearth and plastered floor was documented. Five additional features were documented during the data recovery phase including a field house, two roasting pits, a recent ash lense, and a recent ditch. The three prehistoric features, plus the pit house found during testing, were excavated prior to the proposed redevelopment of this parcel. The prehistoric features appeared to be related to both limited activities associated with agriculture, to long-term residence associated with the nearby village site of La Ciudad, and were part of the general land-use system used by the Hohokam in the Salt River Valley. This site was assigned Arizona State Museum site number AZ T:12:215(ASM).