Shell ornament consumption in a classic hohokam platform mound community center

Classic period (ca. A.C. 1100-1450) Hohokam platform mound settlements are commonly interpreted as community centers for the circulation of information as well as economic resources. Evidence for spatially concentrated craft production or consumption, particularly of high-value exotic goods, is one possible dimension of this function. This study presents evidence for the spatially centralized consumption of shell ornaments at Marana, an Early Classic (Tanque Verde phase, ca. A.C. 1100-1300) platform mound community in the Tucson Basin of Arizona. Data from domestic refuse middens in community sites include whole unmodified shell, production debris and worked shell, partially manufactured ornaments, and finished shell ornaments. The relevance of patterning at Marana is explored with respect to Classic period political economy and community organization among the Hohokam.