Residences

After about AD 1200, people throughout the Tonto Basin lived in single story, apartment–like residences. Shared courtyard areas were probably used for daily chores like food preparation and craft production. Most of the resources needed for these tasks were produced or procured in the nearby valley and mountain areas. Cooking was often a group activity, evidenced by shared food preparation areas found in residential courtyards.

Stone basins, called metates, were used for crushing corn, seeds or pods to make meal or flour.
Large ovens, or hornos, dug into the ground were used to bake foods like agave hearts and cholla buds. Foods could also be parched in cooking vessels with hot coals.
Large jars and granaries were used for storage of cultivated foods like corn and beans. These ceramic or basketry storage containers for surplus crops were important in times of scant harvests.

Tools of the Trade

Most of the material needed for the manufacturing of tools, pottery, and for weaving were available near Tonto Basin villages.

Outcrops of stone were quarried to make flaked-stone tools like arrow points and ground-stone tools like metates.
Implements, like awls used for basket making, were carved from animal bone.
Deposits of clay were used to make ceramic vessels for food and water storage and for cooking.
Agave and yucca provided fibers for weaving clothing and baskets.
Cotton was cultivated extensively – its seeds were edible and its fibers were used for weaving.

Artifact		Description
	Mortar	Ground stone tools like this were used for crushing or grinding foods.
	Salado Polychrome	Ceramics were made of clay dug from the earth, crushed and mixed with water. Thick clay "coils" were joined together to build the pot.
	Anvil-and-Paddle	The vessel was thinned by striking the exterior with a paddle against a stone anvil, held against the interior. Fine clay combined with pigment was used to create a colored surface.
	Anvil Stone for Pottery Making
	Polishing Stones	Vessel s were polished with stones to create a smooth finish.