Archaeological Testing of the Juhan Park Parcel along the Santa Cruz River in Tucson, Arizona

Under the authority of the State of Arizona Antiquities Permit 1996-101ps, Desert Archaeology, Inc., completed archaeological testing. This project was undertaken because the parcel was located on floodplain deposits of the Santa Cruz River, and an initial survey identified a low-density surface artifact scatter that is part of a previously recorded archaeological site, AZ AA:12:44 (ASM). The object of the project was to determine whether subsurface archaeological or historical remains were present in the area prior to construction of a city park. This report includes sections on the project area location and description, archaeological background, previous archaeological work in the project area, project methods, results, a discussion of related issues, and recommendations. The archaeological testing was conducted between June 18 and 20, 1996, by Deborah Swartz, Susan Hall, and Tim Goddard of Desert Archaeology. The survey identified a low artifact density across the parcel. Because of the geomorphological setting, this suggested that buried deposits could be present. Twelve test trenches, totaling 518 m (1,700 ft), were excavated. The goal was to situate the trenches primarily within the areas of proposed subsurface construction impacts. Trenches were placed along proposed fence lines, power pole locations, and areas where large trees will be planted. Additional judgmental trenches were situated between the construction-related trenches to provide additional information about the subsurface deposits. Much of the area has been disturbed by modern dumping of asphalt and other construction materials, particularly in the eastern portion of the study area. In some places, this disturbance was as deep as the trench, approximately 1.6 m (5 ft), so no natural deposits were observed. In the trenches where the natural stratigraphy was observed, the deposits on the eastern side of the parcel contained no prehistoric remains. The natural sediments on the western portion of the parcel were different and did contain cultural features. Nine features were identified in the backhoe trenches, all on the western half of the parcel. These include one roasting pit, one well, three large pits, one small pit, one human inhumation, and two areas of darker sediments with light charcoal flecking but no distinct feature outlines. Descriptions of these features are provided below.