The Hohokam People couldn't have survived in the middle of the desert without the extensive system of canals they built. "The canals represent the most complex and extensive water control system that existed in North America north of Mexico. Canals were built along the Salt, Gila, and Verde rivers but he most complex canal systems were those on the Salt river, in the fertile valley now occupied by Phoenix" (Archeology in the City 26). Some of these canals diverted water from the river up to 16 miles, which enabled the Hohokam to move farther from the river. The Hohokam used these canals mainly to irrigate crops, however they did serve other purposes such as providing water for: drinking, cooking, potterymaking, and to support the every day life in the villages. The Hohokam started building these canals as early as the "Pioneer period (300 A.D.) And continued through the Classic period (1450 A.D.) where they reached their maximum extent" (Gumerman 157). The Hohokam eventually built over 600 miles of canals (not all being used at the same time of course), which would be like digging a canal from Salt Lake City Utah to Phoenix Arizona. The canals ranged in size from about 64 feet across to 6 feet across. The larger canals were the main inlets from the river. From there the progressively got smaller as they ran through the villages and eventually to the fields to water the crops. The effort required to build these canals is phenomenal. It is estimated that "a minimum of 900,000 cubic meters of earth was moved in the cumulative construction during the classic period alone. The World Health Organization estimates that one person can move one cubic meter of earth a distance of 100 meters per day, using metal shovels and baskets. If one person can move one cubic meter of earth per day, then nearly 3500 man-years of effort would have been necessary to construct the trunklines of the canal systems. In other words, if 100 men gave one month of service annually, it would have taken nearly 420 years to build the network of main canals alone" (Gumerman 157).
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Copyright 1998