This is the sixth in a series of seven volumes reporting results of archaeological investigations at Las Colinas, a predominantly Sedentary and Classic period settlement on the Salt River within the boundaries of what is today urban Phoenix. Excavations at Las Colinas were funded by the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway administration, with the additional support of the University of Arizona during report preparation and publication phases of the project. Work was conducted under Arizona State Permit S-82-16. Earlier volumes in this series presented data summaries and interepretation by project analysts, and a final volume (7) provides basic data and results of some specialized studies. The present volume synthesizes results of the various studies within the larger context of the project research design (Volume 1 in this series), in order to interpret the relevance of this site for better understanding the prehistoric Hohokam of central Arizona. Specific topics addressed include the implications of archaeomagnetic dating for regional chronology, the development and structure of Las Colinas itself, implications of project data for problems of social organization and economy, relationships within central and southern Arizona during the occupation of the site, and the inferences that may be drawn from Las Colinas data, in conjunction with other information, regarding the end of a recognizably Hohokam presence in central Arizona after about A.D. 1450.

The principal focus of this volume is a reconsideration of the construction history and organization of the Mound 8 precinct at Las Colinas. Seven stages of mound construction were identified, with some changes in construction methods and mound configuration over time. As a consequence, Mound 8 provides a record of the transition from an earlier mound form, similar to some stages of the pre-Classic mound at the Gatlin Site, to a later form similar to patterns evident in other Classic period sites. The organization of the Mound 8 precinct as a whole changes with these modifications of the central feature. From these physical changes, shifts in the function and use of Mound 8 have been inferred. Among these is an apparent transition from a predominantly ritual function to one of residence, probably by an elite group within the general population. A comparison of these aspects of the Mound 8 precinct with characteristics of other known platform mounds is made. Although no precise parallel to Stage VI at Las Colinas is identified, strong similarities of the remaining construction stages to those at other sites indicate that there was a shared concept of the appropriate formal organization of the mounds, which might be presumed to reflect similarities in their function within the society.

Excerpt from Preface: The Centro INAH Sonora hosted the 11th biennial Southwest Symposium in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, January 8th and 9th, 2010. In the tradition of past meetings, the 21st Southwest Symposium provided a forum for archaeologists and other scholars to discuss innovative ideas and to develop networks for anthropological research in the U.S. Southwest and Mexican Northwest. We built the symposium around the theme of building transnational archaeologies. The Hermosillo meeting was the most diverse of the Southwest Symposiums held so far. The participants included U.S., Mexican, and indigenous researchers who worked in museums, universities, governmental agencies and contract archaeology. The 11th Southwest Symposium had four presented sessions and a series of themed poster sessions on transnational topics. Two of the presented sessions, West and North Mexico, and The Lost Century: A.D. 1450-1540 focused on substantive issues that expand our understanding of the Southwest/Northwest in space and time. The other two presented sessions Collaborating Across Cultures, and Archaeology and Society, discussed methods and goals in transnational archaeologies. The poster sessions included Violence in the Southwest/Northwest, Coastal Archaeology, Relations between the Southwest/Northwest and Mesoamerica, Cliff Dwellings, and Contract Archaeology. This volume includes 14 chapters from three of the presented sessions.

Foreword: This volume introduces the research design for investigations undertaken at the Marana Mound site (AZ AA:12:251 [ASM]) following the conclusion of the Northern Tucson Basin Survey (NTBS) in 1990, a brief summary of major fi ndings at this Early Classic center, and selected studies on more focused topics. Results of the previous NTBS survey have been published in a variety of venues, including journal articles, book chapters, monographs, and graduate student theses and dissertations. Comprehensive summary publications are The Marana Community in the Hohokam World edited by Suzanne K. Fish, Paul R. Fish, and John H. Madsen (1992a), The Northern Tucson Basin Survey: Research Directions and Background Studies edited by John H. Madsen, Paul R. Fish, and Suzanne K. Fish (1993), and Between Desert and River: Hohokam Settlement and Land Use in the Los Robles Community by Christian E. Downum (1993). The selected studies in this volume are an outgrowth of archaeological field classes and field schools that were held at the Marana Mound site during spring semesters between 1990 and 2003. The contributions were initially presented at a symposium at the 69th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) in Montreal, Canada, in 2004, and have been modified over the intervening years. As of this writing, studies of Marana collections continue and some of the findings reported here undoubtedly will be refined by this ongoing research as well as future analyses. In the meantime, these studies offer valuable insights on the organization of Hohokam society during the Early Classic Period (ca. AD 1150-1300) from the perspective of one uniquely well-preserved locale—the Marana Mound site.