Leonard W. Blake

The Fortified Hill Site Near Gila Bend, Arizona

ABSTRACTExcavations arc reported of an unusual site, located on top of a volcanic escarpment, on the Gila Bend Indian Reservation. The rooms and walls were reconstructed during excavation. All components, with the exception of probable ceremonial units, were composed of rubble core masonry. Three building phases were delineated. Rooms were grouped in social units of two or three houses.Two burial zones of primary cremations were found. Mining areas were evident under the edge of the site and on a neighboring escarpment. Tests indicate that minerals were mined for ceramic temper or obsidian.The cultural assemblage is a manifestation of the Tanque Verde phase (ca. A.D. 1200–1300) as known from the Tucson Basin.It is proposed that the village was settled by migrants to the area after it was abandoned by the Hohokam proper. Site location, on a cultural frontier, makes it possible but not certain that the defensible quality of the hill was of prime concern.