Art of the Ancient Ones

Red-on-Buff Geometric Olla, Hohokam, Southwest Arizona, Salt or Gila River Valley, 950–1150 CE, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Ann Ziff.

LACMA's Art of the Ancient Americas department has partnered with the Department of Anthropology at California State University, Dominguez Hills to offer internships to CSUDH students. The program provides an opportunity for students to learn practical curatorial skills and gain hands-on experience in collections-based research while shadowing LACMA staff. Our inaugural cohort of interns began work in LACMA's off-site storage facilities at the beginning of the spring semester, but the program was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our interns went digital, meeting virtually and researching the permanent collection using LACMA's digital resources. This series of blog posts and StoryMaps showcases what our first cohort of CSUDH-LACMA Anthropology Interns has accomplished. Be sure to read the work of our other interns: Sarahi Vargas's post for Unframed, " Dancing Through Time ," Fernanda Hernandez's post for Unframed, " Examining Tlatilco Figurines ," and Yesenia Rubi Landa's StoryMap " The Many Lives of Artifacts ."

The Hohokam, known as the Ancient Ones by some modern-day tribes, occupied the southern part of what is now Arizona, around modern-day Phoenix and the Sonoran Desert. Archaeological evidence for Hohokam culture extends until about 1450 CE.

The map below shows the core Hohokam cultural area (the Phoenix Basin), and the approximate extent of Hohokam territory and trade. The points correspond with three major Hohokam sites that have been excavated by archaeologists: Pueblo Grande, Snaketown, and Casa Grande. The area on the right corresponds with the territory of the neighboring Mogollon culture, with whom the Hohokam likely traded and interacted. The Hohokam are also notable for sustaining significant connections with Mesoamerican societies to the south.

The Hohokam adapted to the specific environmental conditions of the region. To irrigate their crops, they developed intricate canal systems in the Gila and Salt River Valleys. To keep cool in the extreme desert heat, where temperatures can reach up to 105° F, they built underground living quarters called pit houses.

Historically, the Pima people (or Akimel O'odham) of southern Arizona lived in round, semi-subterranean dwellings known as kis (an example is pictured to the left). These share many characteristics with Hohokam pit houses.

LACMA's collection of Hohokam pottery encompasses several styles and motifs spanning a number of chronological periods. Archaeologists use ceramic styles to learn more about how societies changed over time, since ceramics are good indicators of chronology. Below, scroll through examples of  Hohokam pottery at LACMA  to learn more about the Hohokam chronological sequence.

Hohokam pottery is itself an innovation that required specialized knowledge in working the raw materials found throughout the American Southwest. The Hohokam used a specific clay gathered from the Salt and Gila River Valleys to create a durable ceramic suitable for a wide range of utilitarian and ritual purposes. The potter would manipulate the clay by adding special materials, known as temper. Temper helps to distribute heat evenly throughout the clay, reducing shrinkage, cracking, and expansion during the drying and firing process. Temper can include crushed shells, sand, stone, glass, or fragments of pottery that have been ground down.

Once the potter had molded and manipulated the clay into the desired form, they would fire the vessel in a kiln heated to around 800°C. Once the ceramic had cooled, it was painted using iron-based paints, with designs ranging from simple to extravagant. The final product is a sturdy ceramic that can hold water, food, or other materials. The technical knowledge and artistic style of Hohokam potters exemplifies the relationship the Hohokam had with the land, and reveals how they understood and interacted with the world.

 View LACMA's complete collection of Hohokam pottery .

Though Hohokam material culture ceased around 1450 CE, descendant tribes such as the Tohono O’odham and the Akimel O'odham (Pima) still live in the arid landscapes of Arizona and call the Hohokam their ancestors. The O'odham people maintain and celebrate many traditions shared with the Hohokam, and the influence the Hohokam left on the land persists. Though modern development has destroyed much of the archaeological evidence of this society, many Hohokam cultural sites and irrigation canals can still be seen today.

LACMA's collection of Hohokam pottery tells a rich history that is waiting to be explored further. Ceramics, much like any other art object, are unique to the artist and the culture that produces it. Many might see pottery as a utilitarian tool used only for menial tasks; however, ceramic vessels, whether jars or bowls, are also vessels for culture, beliefs, traditions, and relationships with land and environment.

Further Reading

Abbott, David R. 2016.  Ceramics and Community Organization among the Hohokam . University of Arizona Press, Tucson.

Abbott, David R. 2006.  Hohokam ritual and economic transformation: ceramic evidence from the Phoenix basin, Arizona . North American Archaeologist 27(4): 285–310.

Abbott, David R., Alexa M. Smith, and Emiliano Gallaga. 2007.  Ballcourts and ceramics: The case for Hohokam marketplaces in the Arizona desert . American Antiquity 72(3): 461–484.

Crown, Patricia L. 1990.  The Hohokam of the American Southwest . Journal of World Prehistory 4: 223–255.

Eighmy, Jeffrey L., and Randall H. McGuire. 1989.  Dating the Hohokam Phase Sequence: An Analysis of Archaeomagnetic Dates . Journal of Field Archaeology 16(2): 215–231.

Fish, Suzanne K., and Paul R. Fish. 1992.  Prehistoric Landscapes of the Sonoran Desert Hohokam . Population and Environment 13: 269–283.

Haury, Emil Walter. 1992.  Emil W. Haury's Prehistory of the American Southwest . Edited by J. Jefferson Reid and David E. Doyel. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.