Excavations at La Villa: Continuity and Change at an Agricultural Village

The archaeological excavations documented in this volume examine the Hohokam village of La Villa, AZ T:12:148 (ASM). From its founding in the sixth century A.D., until abandonment in the eleventh century, La Villa was one of the largest villages in the Phoenix Basin. Current excavations preceded the installation of a storm drain that was part of the larger Storm Drain project and provided a rare glimpse of a large pre-Classic period village. Fieldwork occurred in multiple phases. Archaeological data recovery was conducted within the project alignment along in four phases of fieldwork. The work was observed by an archaeological monitor. The alignment in was tested, and because no features were identified, no further work was conducted. Most of the work was conducted in where dense occupation was encountered. The long-lived occupations encountered are in the heart of the village of La Villa. In total, 241 features were identified, including 80 pithouses, 98 extramural features, and 63 mortuary features. Located just north of the western plaza at La Villa, the project area contained dense, persistent settlement. Particularly dense were areas located closest to the western plaza. On the northern and western margins of the project area, settlement, while dense by most standards, was temporally patchy, occupied for one or more intervals but exhibiting gaps. From the founding of La Villa, its inhabitants were farmers. As productive specialization developed, particularly in ceramics but also in other goods, farming became increasingly important for the people of La Villa. Agricultural products became not only sources of sustenance, but also goods that could be exchanged for shell, ceramics, and other goods. Fieldwork revealed contexts spanning much of the Hohokam pre-Classic. Features were excavated dating from the Red Mountain phase through the Middle Sacaton, with the interval from Vahki through Early Sacaton being best represented. One of the strengths of the excavated data set is this incredible temporal sample, which revealed that change at La Villa came in fits and starts, interspersed by periods of remarkable continuity.