The Hohokam: Triumph in the Desert

All over Arizona lay the ruins of Hohokam art and architecture and engineering. Find out how small farming communities came together to master the Arizona desert and create a thriving and adaptive culture.
Patreon: / ancientamericas
Facebook: / ancientamericas​
Sources and Bibliography: docs.google.com/document/d/1B...

[@darthchingaso3613]

"A barren landscape" an interesting way to describe one of the most biologically diverse parts of the usa. Decent video but gotta work on that pronunciation. Few little nit picks the switch from cremation to burials didnt happen in the Tucson basin and was mainly a Phoenix basin thing, there are actually a lot of differences between the hohokam of the tucson basin and those of the Phx basin. Im pretty sure the site of Casas Grande/Paquiméin mexico didnt really start developing until the end of the precalssic period of the Hohokam when the use of mesoamerican ritual goods was starting to decrease. Also when americans first started moving into the region in the mid 1800s the O'odham were growing millions of pounds of wheat with irrigation farming techniques. Its just that by the time the early anthro/archaeologists started investigating them the water had been diverted upstream of them and left them impoverished and unable to continue a irrigation based lifeway and ended their traditional ways of life and was the beginning of their forced assimilation...

[@AncientAmericas]

Pinning this so everyone can see. Very good feedback. Yes, I believe I mentioned in the video that cremations feature in the Hohokam core areas predominantly but I did not clarify that core area verbally. I made references to differences in lifestyles between the river Hohokam and Desert Hohokam but after reading this, I wish I had elaborated a bit more. That's on me. Also, I checked the dates on Cases Grandes and are you correct. That's my mistake for not confirming. And yes, the O'odham were farming in the basins and selling tons of wheat to settlers heading west before the rivers got dammed up but from what I read, it was on a smaller scale than previous Hohokam activity. Since that was more modern history, I didn't make any mention of it but I'm glad you pointed it out. And yes, I completely blew it on some of those pronunciations. My bad.

[@linnymaemullins3319]

@@AncientAmericas 👍😍

[@darthchingaso3613]

@@AncientAmericas no worries you did a good job, most people cant pronounce the names and you did good by not calling them the pima, like i said they were just nit picks from someone who specializes in the topic. But I feel its important to bring up O'odham farming in the 1800s is due to the similarities between how they lived and the pre-hohokam people of the tucson basin who relied on smaller scale pithouse villages and canal irrigation. David Martiez wrote a interesting article talking about that period where they lost their water from an Akimel O'odham way of thinking called "Pulling Down the Clouds The O’odham Intellectual Tradition during the “Time of Famine”".

[@darthchingaso3613]

@@AncientAmericas oh also David R Abbott did some work showing the ballcourts were associated with trade/markets

[@camtwan1]

People like you…It’s his video. Let him present the information how he wants. Please don’t pin comments from morons like these.

[@mariawanjohi8454]

I’m O’odham, born and raised on the GRIC. Im from the Coyote clan of Snake Town. It’s crazy to see and hear all this, but makes my heart warm. I grew up collecting broken pottery pieces in my vast desert of a back yard. Now as an adult when I look at the pieces I cry just knowing that they are hundreds of yrs old. I was in elementary in the 80’s-90’s when the AZ government flooded the Gila River ruining the banks, then damming it in up and it hasn’t flown since. But despite the damming my ppl still thrives and still farming. Thanks for sharing and posting.

[@rosenars6665]

How do you find out what clan you’re apart of?

[@YaBoiDREX]

Most underrated history channel

[@Josephkenyon3]

Agreed.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@RedstoneMalfunction]

I think about the Hohokam every time someone tells me that Arizona is an “unlivable wasteland.”

[@AncientAmericas]

Pffft. That's quitter attitude right there!

[@freakrx2349]

They also forget that Ancient Egypt exists and almost half the country is desert. Plus most of Egypt’s population lives along the Nile river and in the delta.

[@idontwantto8103]

Desert people are the smartest because we have to take care of everything vs just growing things by itself it makes humans slower mentally

[@KateeAngel]

As a person who cannot stand temperature above 30C, it is unliveable wasteland to me personally)

[@KateeAngel]

@@idontwantto8103 food of people in other places also didn't just "grow by itself", you know. Especially in cases when they needed to grow enough to survive the winter

[@aztecchica]

I saw some of that pottery when I interned at the ASU repository. Also fun fact, Phoenix was named that back in the 1800s because it was a town raising from the ashes of the Hohokam.

[@c.c.c.7756]

Empires and nations in the Americas are majestic. Had to say.

[@AncientAmericas]

I approve of this comment!

[@Wayne-O-5169]

The “modern world” tends to look down on societies that preceded them, considering them somehow backward and less intelligent. When you look at an ancient society that thrived for over a thousand years, our 400 or so years on the continent don’t seem such a big thing. Add in that we are still using their ancient technology, even adapted, and I keep listening for the Hohokam equivalent of: “What else you got, kid?”

[@evbbjones7]

It's a bit daunting when taken in context, isn't it? For the Hohokam, what they had was the peak of civilization, and likely the best many of them had ever seen. Probably millions of people wrapped up in that almost entirely forgotten existence. A story told thousands of times across the globe. People really don't appreciate how little it takes for something to accidently trigger the reset button, and for everything you've ever known to be lost in the dust.

[@davidpayne1519]

Hey second class petty officer

[@jonimaricruz1692]

My old anthro prof cautioned us repeatedly not to look down on ancient peoples, they were just as intelligent and clever as we are at wringing a living from their environment. The only difference for so many cultures was their complete dependence on oral traditions for passing down what technologies they did have to their descendants.

[@senatorjosephmccarthy2720]

@@jonimaricruz1692 , the only difference?

[@jonimaricruz1692]

@@senatorjosephmccarthy2720 I’m sure I’m going to regret this based on some of your other comments, but yes, generally speaking the lack of writing as a means for passing down and building on their technologies made it more difficult for succeeding generations to build on the accomplishments of their ancestors. It doesn’t mean they were lacking in intelligence or cleverness or general problem solving, they were just as intelligent as modern peoples.

[@dracomadness792]

It’s so interesting learning about other native tribes. Saddening that the US school system doesn’t even highlight the impact us Natives had on this land. Thanks for all the work you do to make these videos! Yakoke (Thank you in Choctaw) 😁

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! I've actually heard from some people in the comments that Arizona schools do teach about the Hohokam but to what extent, I can't say. It's certainly better than it is in most places.

[@dracomadness792]

@@AncientAmericas I went to school all across the states being a military child. They loosely talk about native Americans besides colonial times. One week on trail of tears. And a little more about laws that were against us. That’s about it nothing too specific. It is nice to know that Arizona tries to teach about their indigenous people. Louisiana (Where my tribe is from) Cali and Alabama rarely speak upon the subject which is disheartening. My mom who immigrated to the states from Germany didn’t even know Native Americans still existed. A lot of the population doesn’t even know we are still alive lmao. So thanks again for teaching more about it. Also maybe in the future do an episode on the Mississippi River civilizations? That river is treasured and sacred among those tribes and cultures. I know you made a video on poverty point (haven’t watched yet I will after my class). There is so much to unpack can’t wait to see what you upload from the future!

[@andrewshepherd1537]

@Draco Madness I remember in 05, to about 08, in Virginia, we were taught about the tribes that inhabited the state, but only to the extent that it facilitated learning about the early colonial era. Now, my freshman year of high school (the only year I was in Virginia for high school) our Biology teacher, while teaching us about domestication of crops, made a point of detailing how the tribes did so.

[@dracomadness792]

@@andrewshepherd1537 that is awesome that your bio teacher talked about that. Our ancestors were chemist without even realizing lol. This creator has a whole video on the importance of Maize and how it came to be. It’s crazy how they accomplished so much

[@andrewshepherd1537]

@Draco Madness some bred corn, some made gun powder... mine just figured out how to make whiskey WITHOUT blowing yourself up, haha.

[@darioguerra3065]

Wake up Ancient Americas just dropped

[@bumbleguppy]

This is the first time I have ever heard about over 200 ball courts in Arizona. Mind blown. Thank you for these videos!

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@drkalowski256]

The Sonoran Desert and specifically the Sonoran state is one of my favorite places on Earth

[@samneibauer4241]

I just watched the series of the Birth of Civilisation from the Histocrat, and I can't help but see a ton of similarities between the Hohokam and the cultures of Mesopotamia and the Levant from around 9,000 to 3,500 BC. They both used irrigation to overcome the issue of their areas' climates becoming more arid and to support large agricultural systems. They both also went from a hunter gatherer lifestyle to agricultural and pastoral and eventually to more sedentary lifestyles, and after a long time, they both started what resembled the first cities in their areas. The part about religion is similar as well, especially about going from ancestor worship to organized religion, which of course created the social hierarchy that helped create the larger, more organized societies and their cities. It's amazing to see how similar these different cultures went through similar histories despite living on the other side of the world at least 3,500 years apart.

[@AncientAmericas]

There's definitely similarities between the two. People gotta eat and the ground doesn't water itself. The religious change is much more a result of external influence than an independent development.

[@michaelfisher7170]

I think it says a great deal about how culture and states rise, as it happened so often across the world in desert regions watered by large rivers. That environment seems well suited to giving birth to civilization.

[@fabrizzioantoniodominguezp349]

Something similar happened with the Norte Chico civilization (also known as Caral) in Lima, Peru. Just like Mesopotamia, it's considered the fist civilization of it's area (in this case, the americas) and it's located in a desert as well. Ancient Americas also made an interesting video about this culture, which I strongly recommend to watch 👍.

[@qzh00k]

The middle east was not as special as some believe, human history across all the continents shows humans are amazing animals.

[@darthchingaso3613]

Except the hohkaam were never pastoral, and their religion didn’t really create a social higher archy(as far as we can tell from burials and material they left behind). But yeah I too have always seen great similarities in their Adobe buildings and many other aspects.

[@thetrembler8791]

So glad I found this. My grandfather was Emil Haury [Emil pronounced AE-mulh, not Eh-meal, BTW, and Haury pronounced HOW-ree.] the archaeological head of both the 1934 and 1964-1965 excavations at Snaketown and one of the archaeologists who promoted the idea of the Hohokam as a distinct culture. I knew several generalities and even several details of Hokoham culture, but I won't pretend I ever pursued it as a primary subject of leaning. Thus, I learned a fair number of things watching your video, and I appreciate that it was there to see.

[@AncientAmericas]

Wow! I came across your grandfather's name a lot in my research. He was a towering figure in Hohokam research for decades and I got the impression that he was well liked by those worked with him. People seem to have remembered him fondly. He did so much for Hohokam study.

[@owli-wankenobi3727]

While sitting hear listening to this, I wonder, how on Earth I've never heard of these people?! Seriously, great stuff, man!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you my good Klingon!

[@owli-wankenobi3727]

@@AncientAmericas Q'apla!

[@toastykitty1448]

You learn about them if you’ve grown up in Phoenix. We usually learn about them and a few other groups but it’s only the basics.

[@AnthonyRomero-zr2ww]

Can you two do me a major major solid here?? Please,please perty perty please, can you Klingons do a volley of qna all in Klingonian ?

[@littlesnowflakepunk855]

A lot of information on indigenous populations was lost during the native american genocide, largely due to the fact that a lot of the people across the americas either didn't use written language, or used it sparingly/for ritual purposes. Tends to be the case that when you kill all the people who know all the history, the history dies with them. A good amount of it was also deliberately destroyed or obscured by puritanical Christians thinking that it was heretical, or idolatry - that's also part of why indigenous peoples are often represented as being "uncivilized" in older books.

[@elainefarr3155]

Really good video, thanks! I'm an Arizona native, and sadly much of our Native American culture was ignored in our history classes. I hope schools are including more about them now. There are some great ruins in the Verde Valley and near Roosevelt lake that are fascinating. Not Hohokam, but also farming communities. The Yavapai-Apache tribe still has reservation land here as well.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@explorer1968]

You are not alone in lamenting the ignorance of modern-day society in ancient Native-American civilizations. Here in Mexico, the mentioning of the prehispanic cultures has been reduced greatly and modern Mexicans are losing memory of their ancient past. Where are they going now if they don't know where they came from?

[@Z3N1TY0]

Still in school. We learned a bit about hohokam in the history textbooks :)

[@warrendourond7236]

Brilliant episode, thank you for the time and effort you put into your work. It fills that big void of ignorance that is a legacy of the education system in both the US and Canada. Archeology exists, and is dynamic and largely unexplored in North America, it isn’t just found in exotic places!

[@AncientAmericas]

Call me an optimist but I think things will get better. I really hope that these subjects get taught in all schools someday.

[@ettinakitten5047]

I'm planning to homeschool my daughter and I've been taking notes for her education.

[@Timby_]

“The Finished People” is such a badass exonym damn

[@dornshammer]

totally metal

[@chraffis]

Your videos are great. My grandpa and grandma have a house in camelback farms which is right near the confluence of the new river and the agua fria. When building the house in 1980 or so, my g-pa found many artifacts. Many Monos and metates, a stone axe head or two, alot of pottery sherds and maybe some other stone/pottery artifacts. Many of my fondest childhood memories are of hanging with my grandparents on that property and exploring the surrounding desert, river bottoms, and (more distant) mountains.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! That's really cool.

[@chraffis]

@@AncientAmericas Keep it up, though. I have no doubt (and you shouldn't either) that the subscriber number will get much larger.

[@b0leg23]

Where are the artifacts now?

[@chraffis]

@@b0leg23 Why do you ask?

[@b0leg23]

@@chraffis I'm just curious, was is donated to the museum or kept in the family, I mean that's history and it's quite important imo.

[@josephthibeault9919]

Lived in Arizona, 1965-70, always interested, I loved the Superstitions Mountains.

[@rhodarichardson5767]

My family is from Somerton, Az. My uncles and grandparents would speak of the old ones in Hohokam, time. They also repeated much of the Star Children, and the place in the northern skies. I have a small carved clay figure of a man I received when I was fifteen years old. It's falling apart. Dreams are also a part of us.

[@AncientAmericas]

Those sound like beautiful memories.

[@rhodarichardson5767]

@@AncientAmericas Actually my family tribe is Quechan Nation, who are descendants of The Hohokum and my father came from Chihuahua, Mexico," Best of both worlds" as I always say. My father was a Tarahumara Native.

[@jeepmega629]

The Hohokam are a prime example of how no matter how extreme and harsh an environment might be, humans will still find a way to adapt and thrive.

[@thrashmetaldad]

🌵🌵 heck yeah it's hot lets talk about ancient American deserts 🏜🏜

[@LukeBunyip]

[@fabrizzioantoniodominguezp349]

I would like to know if there was any civilization in the atacama desert (Chile).

[@juanjuri6127]

@@fabrizzioantoniodominguezp349 Yes, the Atacama people (also known as Atacameño, Kunza or Likanantai) were actually one of the most sophisticated cultures to occupy the territory of modern Chile (along with the Diaguitas, a bit further south). They settled in the few oases that criss-cross the desert, and grew many crops using terrace farms similar to the Incas. They also raised llamas, and traded jerky with the nomadic fishing tribes at the Pacific coast. They knew some metalworking (copper and maybe gold) and had elaborate pottery. They came under Tiwanaku influence, and by the arrival of the Spanish they'd become a vassal state of the Incas.

[@atiliomoran9628]

@@LukeBunyip 0p000000000000000000000000

[@charlessnortley4519]

Mexico!

[@auagminer]

Thanks so much for this video. I lived many years in southern Arizona and had friends that had studied the prehistoric cultures. We talked and theorized about the Hohokam years ago, and more recently as access to information was made easier with internet, I have investigated more. I'm amazed at how little mainstream interest is shown for this incredible culture and what they accomplished. Thank you for taking the time to compile this information and then put it in a format that can be easily accessed by so many people. Well done!!!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@9HighFlyer9]

I grew up in Phoenix, this was more in depth than everything I learned of Hohokam culture in all of my schooling including an Arizona history class in college.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@ayokae.den0h455]

Wow thanks for the sharing of this video, I'm from the Gila River Indian Community, Homelands of the Akimel O'odham meaning "River People". Great Work 👍 We also have a Huhugam Heritage Center.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! I'd love to visit if I ever get down to Arizona!

[@bethbartlett5692]

*Geology and Geophysics have such an important value in interpreting the subjects of Ancient Civilizations, Groups, and their Living Conditions.* The Weather Patterns and those affected by changes are 🔑.

[@qzh00k]

That's what i see from natural history, the battles with nature and a fickle planet have driven man crazy and more than a few times. The La Palma Spain volcano is a fresh and good reminder. Think of the Bananas.

[@riverraisin1]

Beth, why do you show up on every video I watch? 😃

[@bethbartlett5692]

@@riverraisin1 😁 Synchronicity, my dear, it is Synchronicity. 😘 Great minds ...

[@57WillysCJ]

Really good video. You could say the cultural influence of the period stretched a long way. You have the Sinagua and Hakataya to the north and still farther north the Fremont culture. One should not forget the interuption of life when the Sunset Crater Volcano eruption in the mid 11th century. Then came the arrival of the Navajo and Apache to the area between 1100 and 1500. There was much of a shift of the peoples to more fortified posistions. Not only the Sinagua but also the Anasazi. You could point to this as the end of the Midevil Warm Period. That would not only stress climate everywhere but it would also cause a migration from nothern climates who had a period of population growth in that warm period to other areas as their resources were depleted. Look at the problems of the rest of the world during the same period.

[@SolracCAP]

You sir just got another subscriber. This is fascinating stuff i've never heard of before and it blew my mind. Thanks for making KZbin a more interesting place

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@MrJadecrane]

Loved this video. One of the better ones I've seen with time line marked and visual material to think on. Thank you!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@dat2ra]

Thank you! I appreciate the clear expressions of uncertainty and lack of bs.

[@MajoraZ]

Oh man, you should have told me you were doing this! In the same trip to Arizona where I took the photos of Teotihuacan art we used for that video, I also went to Tonto National Monument and drove through the Tonto National Forest. It's a Salado rather then a Hohokam site, but I had plenty of the photos of the local landscape (which was still within the Hohokam cultural area) you probably could have used..... anyways, I wanna look into the canal systems you mentioned, they sound really impressive. I might email you about em! Also to be clear, at 17:00 , you mention that the Mesoamerican - Oasisamerican (the area the Hohokam, Salado, Pueblo, etc belong to) trade mostly came from West Mexico, rather then Central Mexico, Oaxaca, the Maya area, etc, but the Macaws you bring up DID come from the Maya area. I know you do specify they came from Southern Mexico when you bring them up, but I just felt it was worth clarifying since at that moment you imply most goods weren't coming from places but West Mexico (the fact that most of the Trade was through West Mexico is also news to me, something new for me to read about!) As an aside, I also gotta say that looking out into the vast desert filled with tons of cacti in Tonto National Forest was one of the most surreal experiences I've had in my life. I felt like I was on an alien planet, it is so, so unlike anything here on the east coast. Everything is barren except for the legion of spiny, plump plants that seem utterly alien compared to grass and trees to begin with. Once you get towards some of the lakes in the area though you begin to see a much wider diversity of plant life and the contrast between the red/orange rock and sand, the greens, pinks, yellows, etc of the flowering cactus and other plants/trees, and the blue lakes was really gorgeous.

[@AncientAmericas]

Aw man, I thought I had mentioned it when we last spoke! I'll remember to hit you up when I do the next Southwestern culture!

[@MajoraZ]

@@AncientAmericas You said the next one you were doing was preclassic maya , haha. Also I got some Andean and Central American and even moundbuilder stuff too here and there!

[@freakrx2349]

I happen to live in Arizona. You’ll see plenty of cacti around here. Especially if you go out into the desert. There’s also different varieties of cactus aside from Saguaro.

[@idontwantto8103]

@@freakrx2349 tell these white ppl to go home and not come back

[@LGDGuy]

Arizona indeed is very beautiful. As a Nevadan I always thought deserts are a bit underappreciated. If you guys need help with any Oasisamerican research by the way I've amassed a lot of sources and have taken a tour of lots of sites around here and in Mexico myself.

[@bigbensarrowheadchannel2739]

Congratulations on the success with this channel. It really blew up quick. Well deserved. The history of ancient America is deep and rich. Thanks for sharing the knowledge. 🙏

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@oulipolesceptique9449]

Really love the presentation of information about these cultures --it's precise and well-organized. Makes it easy to learn and retain details about these important civilizations --people like us, finding solutions to problems and adapting.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@louisromerojr906]

I've lived in Tucson az all my life and always wondered , since childhood , about the indigenous people . Hearings about the ballcourts HERE blows my mind!

[@-C0mr4d3_C0VID]

I’m so glad I found this channel. I’ve been binging it for a couple days now (thanks to covid, I have lots of time on my hands), and I’m stunned by how much I’m learning. Never learned any of this in school (other than the Olmec, Mayan, and Aztec history in every typical world history book in the US). Thank you for your passion.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! I'm glad you're learning a lot!

[@dooberss385]

Fantastic video. I never thought I’d be so invested in a channel like this but this information & presentation is so interesting & well done.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@jimweatherill3363]

Thanks! I lived in Arizona most of my life and this video did so much inform me on what I thought was a familiar subject! Having been fortunate enough to live in a community with diverse cultures was a gift I only recognized in hind sight. Well done!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@annepoitrineau5650]

thank you for sharing this. I had never heard about the Hohokam before. What a people!

[@steveqhanson6835]

Thanks for including trade networks and interactions with neighbors in these vids. I'm fascinated by how ancient cultures were interconnected. Well done vid.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@maciejtedeque8096]

sir, i am impressed with how much work you put into this. thank you very much.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@atlasaltera]

I have to say, the way you talk so excitedly about the canals and the left behind structures that can still be seen in the landscape in the far southwest... Just makes me think of how much you would get a kick out of taking a deep dive into clam gardens in the Pacific Northwest. You will also get a real kick out of the discussions on what makes sedentary populations ... sedentary.

[@AncientAmericas]

Can't wait! There's definitely been some interesting exceptions that I've come across.

[@nomanmcshmoo8640]

As a resident of Arizona. Thank you. A great video.

[@amegorica8902]

This is just wonderful. Thank you!

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@gabem3593]

Incredibly well made stuff!! Thank you!!!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@Nwmguy]

I am so glad this channel exists. It is going to blow up so quick.

[@christinadinham4760]

This is needed and lovely thank you 😊

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@nnez9009]

Awesome, as always. Thank you for your content!

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@MogofWar]

When you're playing Civilization and you get the message that an uncontacted civilization has been destroyed, then later while you're scouting some new land and you find some roads and irrigation tiles in the wilderness...

[@AncientAmericas]

Oh do I know that feeling... Also, 10 points to Griffyndor for a Civilization reference. One of my favorite game franchises!

[@MajoraZ]

​@@AncientAmericas I enjoy the series but ever since I really started to get into Mesoamerican history it's made me a big jaded that the ONLY two cultures from that area the franchise has ever had is the Aztec and Maya, meanwhile there's like 20 different Asian and European civs playable in each title. I get they aren't gonna give Mesoamerica, or even the Americas as a whole as many playable civs as Europe/Asia, but i'd at least, at least also give us the Purepecha and the Mixtec or Zapotec for Mesoamerica (Teotihuacan and Tlaxcala as CIty-states would be neat) the Mississippians and some Oasisamerican cultures for what's now North of Mexico; the Chimu alongside the Inca, etc.

[@AncientAmericas]

@@MajoraZ I agree. Those are totally valid criticisms. But it's still a fun game! Also, the way in civ 4 that they lumped all north American civilizations into the "Native American" civilization is a travesty. The first three cities you build are Cahokia, chaco canyon, and poverty point which have absolutely nothing to do with each other except that they are in north America.

[@FATMIKED5183]

@@MajoraZ It would also be cool to get the Lenape in Civ instead of just the Iroquois.

[@etiennedegaulle3817]

@@AncientAmericas Civilization is the best, but it would be cool if they had more granular choices of civilizations.

[@user-bw5ek8oz9g]

I were whipping tears once I heard about the channels used today. This civilization has much more proudable legacy than many others.

[@alanhyt79]

This was fascinating. Many thanks for all of that work!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@boxborolad]

I really enjoyed this program. I grew up in the Phoenix area (been living in Massachusetts for over 50 years now). My late father & I were very interested in and admiring of the Hohokam past. This presentation ties together a number of the references I own. Nice work

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@jonspectre1103]

Haha I used to live right next to the Park of the Canals in Mesa. I used to go on walks there all the time. Never realized how important those were

[@anasevi9456]

great video, love to hear about a culture that is rarely heard outside of its region.

[@AncientAmericas]

I was hooked on the Hohokam when I first leaned about them. I'm puzzled as to why they aren't more famous.

[@freakrx2349]

My younger brother and I would see plenty of Hohokam petroglyphs whenever we hike in South Mountain. I’ve been to plenty of Hohokam sites such as Pueblo Grande and Casa Grande. The Arizona Museum of Natural history in Phoenix also has a recreation of an entire Hohokam village.

[@AncientAmericas]

Very cool! If I ever get to Arizona, I'm definitely taking a Hohokam tour and hitting up the museums. From what I've seen, the state has done a pretty good job of saving what they can and making it accessible.

[@freakrx2349]

@@AncientAmericas I definitely look forward to the day you visit my home state! There is so much ancient history in Arizona that’s fascinating.

[@freakrx2349]

@@AncientAmericas also, whatever you do, don’t visit Arizona in the summer. It gets really hot around that time (110 degrees!). You’re better off visiting in the winter time. Not sure about spring or autumn.

[@negringo4470]

In addition to being well made , I am pleasantly surprised at how soothing the narration was . Keep up the outstanding work .

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@Honey_Daddy]

How do you still only have 30k subs? All your videos are masterpieces. Well written, well researched, extremely informative, the topics are truly amazing to learn about and pertinent to americans via the heritage of natives to the lands our country essentially stole or bought from the thieves, much if the information is little known by laymen, the visual references are always fairly good and add much more context and deepen immersion into the topics, and theyre a good length, not too long that it becomes boring to watch, but not too short to be considered a respectable documentary, the reading is very natural and professional sounding, editing is fairly good and there is no shortage if fascinating information amidst illustrative stories and well-executed analyses. Did i miss anything? Your videos and channel as a whole are gems and without exaggerating, your channel is one of my favorites and i find myself rewatching videos a couple weeks later to compare information of similar cultures, or just to refresh, or see if i missed anything when distracted the first time. Please dont stop doing what you do. Im glad to be here to appreciate your work before the masses catch on. You deserve all of the support i can give and all of the future growth and success I anticipate coming your way sometime in the near future. Thank you for all that your work has contributed to my life, broadening my ability to pursue my passion of learning what i find interesting and making doing so easily accessible and digestible. I cannot overstate how much i appreciate what you do and how you execute it all. Try not to forget the little people when youve got hundreds of thousands of well-deserved subs. ;)

[@AncientAmericas]

Wow! Thank you for such kind words and encouragement. I'm pleased that you are getting so much out of these videos. Honestly, 30k subs is more than I ever thought I'd have with my amateur presentation. The little people are what make the channel run so I certainly hope I don't forget them if I ever reach 100k subscribers.

[@Honey_Daddy]

@@AncientAmericas you deserve it for sure. And you'll absolutely get there sooner than later. How long does it take you to turn out a video on average? Im guessing youre a one man band, no?

[@AncientAmericas]

@@Honey_Daddy On average, about 6 weeks. If it's a topic I know very well and have materials for, I might be able to finish it in 4 weeks but that's more often the exception. At the end of the day, no two are the same and each one has different needs. And yes, this is technically a one man operation though I certainly have gotten plenty of help along the way.

[@BarnabyBaltimoron]

Mesa AZ resident here. Can’t help but feel more connected to these ancient peoples and the environment they carved out for themselves. Great video, thanks!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@cmrnowlin]

I loved learning about these people in middle school.

[@coolkeedd]

YES, have been looking forward to this!

[@AncientAmericas]

I hope it was worth it!

[@cuetlaxochitl]

Born and raised in Az back when it was still dirt rural roads. No one from other states moved in until much later. 1970’s still see Apache ladies wearing their traditional long skirts and tops. I wished I’d never taken all that for granted since it’s all gone now.

[@coopergreen7961]

Thank you so much for making this video

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@flmbprt]

Thanks again! Amazing, as all your videos. Revealing!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@ufospiral3199]

I'd never heard about the hohokam before thank you for this wonderful and informative video!

[@ufospiral3199]

also, where'd you get the map that you use

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! I make all my maps in Adobe Illustrator but the map that served as the basis for mine was this one: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_River#/media/File:Colorado_River_basin_map.png

[@hausb0mb]

Awesome! Can’t wait for one on the Puebloans.

[@yesid17]

😫😫 amazing video as always thank you keep it up 🙌would love to hear you talk about the San Agustín and Tierradentro cultures

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you. I do have those cultures on my list and I would love to cover them. Unfortunately, finding good information in English on Colombian archaeology has been very frustrating. Hopefully I'll find some stuff to work with.

[@Wyvernacular]

Thanks for making this history so interesting and easy to watch and showing the history of these people and their culture. 👍👍

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@bigsmiler5101]

This is about my current home. I live in this area. I can see the land across the Gila River. I regularly drive past the Snaketown site. I've been a member of the local historical society but still learned many new things today.

[@xiKUDx]

Awesome video! I'm just learning about the native people's where I live, the Kumeyaay. They were also incredibly good at using every natural resource available. These ancient people never cease to amaze me!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@mukialedori]

Your channel is excellent. Solid presentation, great info.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@brandon7482]

Great video man, I live in central Arizona and grew up visiting Hohokam ruins.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! Those ruins are really cool.

[@margilvale7648]

most impressive, a very complete investigation. you deserve a A+++

[@AncientAmericas]

Thanks! Can't say I've ever gotten an A+++!

[@TheHexbugfan]

The algorithm blessed me today. I had an obsession over the hohokam 2 years ago, and here they are again.

[@AncientAmericas]

FUEL THE OBSESSION!

[@MattCouzensMusic]

Yes! Been waiting for the next video! 😊 thanks! 🙏

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@MattCouzensMusic]

@@AncientAmericas so much good information. So well researched. And enjoyable visual presentation. 🤘 Also, my fragment sentences? 😆

[@InfamousAustinT0]

Thank you for another brilliant video

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@shawnwitthoff471]

Beautiful subject and a beautiful people

[@jeffhildreth9244]

Excellent. Thank you from So Oregon.

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@sheepbaad]

Great video! Lovely insight and research done into this, awful how this isn't taught about more!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! Hopefully that will change in time.

[@hanszlh6522]

well Aurie , you Do have absolutely GREAT researchers/scientists - and their 'lectures' at universities in the USofA ( including Phoenix ! ) , especially in fields like Archeologie , Cultural Anthropologie and related social sciences ... ( and don't overlook Your Great National Geographic Society , in whot's vest i bum around daily !!! ) but yes , you're quite-rite , your general 'educayshun/school'-system sucks - what can you expect with 'leaders' like Drump and his preferred Secretary of 'Private' Education ??!!? ... a Secretary of State , who didn't have a clue where the Ucraine was , fu... unbelieveable !!! - but there's hope , and YOU can DO something for her ... Cheers !!

[@enriquetachias920]

Hope to see a video about New Mexico and the famous Chaco canyon and many other pueblo irrigation communities.

[@AncientAmericas]

All in good time!

[@TheBLGL]

I second this idea.

[@tonychavez3876]

Good stuff AA👍 Sonora is where my abuelita is from, shes yaqui. I know it's not a popular opinion these days but I love the stories of man taming nature😂 From the this to the Nabateans to the Inca. People manipulating harsh environs. Resourceful and clever. Whatevers clever!

[@chefspenser1480]

Excellent. Terrific narration.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@nathans.3751]

Thank you for your hard work and awesome videos. One of the few channels that provide well researched material, and not just talking drivel. Certainly better than anything on cable.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@EvilSmonker]

Love your videos man, you are a great lecturer and storyteller.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@EvilSmonker]

@@AncientAmericas No thank you; I've always loved old world history, but you've been a great introduction into pre-modern American history for me, opening my mind to a whole lineage of humanity (being the americans).

[@anonymousy8882]

i really appreciate these videos. Its good to see someone talking about the native Americans as humans, instead of the Hollywood portraying them as subhuman savages

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@beware7669]

... recognize ...

[@gnostic268]

Native Americans are still here and haven't gone extinct 🙄 Deb Halland is the current Secretary of the Interior of the U.S. and she's a Pueblo woman. There are Native Congress members, actors, professors and writers. We are still a living people and there are over 563 federally recognized tribes. There are Native colleges, casinos, ranches and other businesses that are owned and managed by tribes. Most reservations have their own tribal governments and fish and game departments along with all the other tribal infrastructure.

[@rubinortiz2311]

I’m Anasazi form Arizona and I have much respect for the Hohokam people. So glad to be able to call this beautiful state home and live on the lands that the hohokam called home.

[@selenagomezacapella]

No one is “Anasazi” 💀

[@rubinortiz2311]

@@selenagomezacapella smh mzungus being know it all’s. The Anasazi are the direct descendants of the Pueblo people 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@selenagomezacapella]

@@rubinortiz2311 - Then you would identify which Pueblo, nobody calls themself Anasazi 🥴💀 that’s like an O’odham calling themselves Hohokam

[@rubinortiz2311]

@@selenagomezacapella ever been to Arizona? The Pueblo people are no more we are their decedents. The term Anasazi is just a broader term to talk about Hopi, Zuni, and a few other groups. I se the term Anasazi because I’m mixed.

[@peterhammes8321]

Great video. Thank you.

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@julioaguilar3947]

Beautiful and well spoken 🤎🤎🥲

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@jackwoodburn7436]

Love your stuff!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@SakamotoCreations]

Mr. Ancient America, these videos have inspired such curiosity in me.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@SakamotoCreations]

@@AncientAmericas recommendations regarding how to learn more about American antiquity?

[@AncientAmericas]

@@SakamotoCreations I would recommend starting with the book 1491 by Charles Mann. It's a fantastic introduction to the pre-columbian Americas and I recommend it anyone who wants a good intro into pre-columbian history. That will expose you to a lot of ancient cultures and history. If you want other KZbin channels that explore pre-columbian topics, go to my channel page and check out the channels I list there. They are all done by people who are much smarter and more experienced than me. The guy who does the ArchaeoEd podcast also does some lecture series for the great courses that are amazing as well.

[@culbinator]

Bravo my man. I’ve been a big fan of your channel for the past year and somehow I missed this one. I’ve lived in the Phoenix area for almost 30 years and 99% of the people living couldn’t tell you anything about the Hohokams. I would do anything to have a time machine and go back to see how they lived with my own eyes.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! Let me know if you ever get the time machine so I can come with.

[@The5thGen]

Thank you for the videos!

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

Very well done. .

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@sasachiminesh1204]

Killing of Elder Brother may also be a way of describing the abandonment of their over-blown ways. It is very often not literal killing or war.

[@user-ci6vh1ls9y]

great video my class loved it.

[@samsonthecurrent]

a great show that taught me about people I had never heard of = a new subscriber well done, friend!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you friend!

[@notisla766]

It's raining and thundering today. Kind of crazy that such a people could dig miles and miles of canals and thrive for as long as they did. I think about it every time I look at the mountains and think about how these people saw the same ones dot their lands. Also, I might be rose-tinted, but when a picture of creosote bushes and saguaro fields is put up as the words "barren wasteland" are said, it kinda makes me laugh. If you want barren wasteland, I heard Yuma's more like it. As a side note, I know this is more mythological rather than historical, but when reading mythologies I noticed that the Yavapai (I think, if not the Hualapai or Havasupai), the Quechan/Maricopa/Cocopah, and the O'odham has this weird sort of continuum or even (speculated) parodies of mythologies. The Yavapai have a creation story with a woman who survives a flood and is impregnated by the sun to birth the culture hero. This is similar to stories of the Lower Colorado River people and O'odham as the Flute Lure story, the second half of the Coyote Brothers story, and the "White Clay Eater"/"Nasia" story. The Lower Colorado River creation story is about two brother gods who emerged from an already flooded earth, one of them blinded by the other. Their dynamic is similar to the dynamic of Earth Makai and Elder Brother and the story overall finds its way into the O'odham Coyote Brothers story and the Rabbit and the Rattlesnake story (aka the first ever death). It's very interesting if not to connect the stories in a speculative way that may even shed some light on stories that may have existed in Hohokam's/Patayan's time.

[@senatorjosephmccarthy2720]

I Like your intro - the Lack of it. Fantastic. Then a quick amount to let is know who put the info on the air. Beautimos!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you Senator!

[@cabbyabby8490]

So happy to see a AA video in my notifications. Thanks I haven't even watched it yet but I know it's going to be good.

[@AncientAmericas]

Hope it doesn't disappoint!

[@cabbyabby8490]

@@AncientAmericas it was good as always. You never disappoint you always deliver. Thank you!

[@connormurphy683]

Would love to see that West Mexico episode, I'd like to learn about predecessors of the tarascans and the cultures of Jalisco and Colima and the Bajío. I've heard there were cities and palaces there but you can't really just look at a Wikipedia article like you can for other parts of Mesoamerica

[@AncientAmericas]

I will get to it someday. Not sure when but I do want to cover it because it's tremendously underrated.

[@Josephkenyon3]

Whoa! Great video, thats MY PEOPLE!! Thank you! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🤘🤘🤘🤘🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@nathangale7702]

Great video, I love learning about native cultures of western America as they have generally received less attention. Looking forward to more!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!