Did the Hohokam culture of south-central Arizona influence surrounding areas?
Theory: Archaeologists in the 1970s proposed that contact with Hohokam society may have spurred changes in surrounding regions. Hohokam elites were believed to have instituted a trade network with surrounding areas to supply them with exotic items including Salado polychrome pottery. Peoples in distant locations may have adopted Hohokam lifeways to enable them to work and trade more efficiently with the Hohokam. However: Other archaeologists see little evidence of a Hohokam elite controlling the trade of items like Salado polychrome pottery. The pottery appears to have been made for general household use, not for use by elites.
