Book
The origins of southwestern agriculture
University of Arizona Press • Tucson • Published In 1991 • Pages:
By: Matson, R. G. (Richard Ghia).
Abstract
'This work is an investigation of the current status of [the author's] information and ideas about the beginnings of agriculture in the Southwest. The focus is upon the Basketmaker II culture, which represent the earliest widely recognized agricultural culture on the Colorado Plateau.' (page xi). Matson presents two theories on the origins of the Basketmakers and then describes the various archaeological data that supports and doesn't support the theories. The first speculates they developed from yet to be discovered hunter-gatherers living on the Colorado Plateau. The second proposes that the Basketmaker II people migrated onto the Colorado Plateau once they were agriculturalists. Matson then present a third hypothesis that emphasizes that maize and maize horticulture had to evolve in order to be able to grow successfully on the Colorado Plateau. Matson describes his own work on Cedar Mesa and provides a cultural summary of Basketmaker culture.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2010
- Region
- North America
- Sub Region
- Southwest and Basin
- Document Type
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Archaeologist
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Sarah Berry; 2009
- Field Date
- 1972-1974
- Coverage Date
- 4000-1600 BP (2000 BC-AD 400)
- Coverage Place
- Colorado Plateau; Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah; United States
- Notes
- R.G. Matson
- Includes bibliographical references (p. [325]-350) and index
- LCCN
- 91014054
- LCSH
- Pueblo Indians--Agriculture
- Agriculture, Prehistoric--Southwest, New
- Corn--Southwest, New--History
- Pueblo Indians--Antiquities
- Southwest, New--Antiquities