A Ceremonial Place

The analysis of artifacts found at Tonto Basin mound sites indicates that mounds were probably ceremonial centers. Ceremonial rooms usually had few everyday tools or personal items like jewelry. They had concentrations of item soften used ceremonially by peoples of the Southwest.

These items included unusually shaped stones, shell trumpets, pigments and fossils.Please click for a shell trumpet sound.

Mounds in the Southwest have often been interpreted as centers to oversee trade and craft production. At Tonto Basin, however, mound rooms lacked stockpiles of craft items or raw materials that would indicate craft production or trade were centered there. Instead, concentrations of ritual items were found, indicating ceremonial functions were centered at the mounds.

Dwelling Place

Tonto Basin rooms, typically about 12 by 14 feet in size, included things common to most homes. Residences included personal items, as well as, practical things like a place to cook, and tools for procuring and preparing food. Room’s groupings, probably shared by family members, containing serving bowls, storage jars, and the remains of stored foods. Items of personal adornment like shell or stone jewelry are often found as well.