Assessment Questions 14.2

1. What is unique about maize compared to other world dietary staples, and how does this contribute to its widespread cultivation in the American Southwest?

Unlike some other world dietary staples like rice, maize is highly diverse and amenable to artificial selection for varieties that can thrive in various habitats. With some work, corn can be grown almost anywhere south of the Arctic, making it adaptable to the diverse conditions of the American Southwest.

2. Name some cultural traditions based on agriculture in the prehistoric Southwest, and mention the common subsistence base of these cultures.

The Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi), Mogollon, Hohokam, and Sinagua are mentioned as cultural traditions based on agriculture in the prehistoric Southwest. They all relied on a subsistence base of maize, beans, and squash.

3. What characterized the Hohokam culture, and how did they overcome the challenge of a dry environment for agriculture?

The Hohokam culture, centered in southern Arizona, constructed extensive irrigation networks to grow maize, beans, and squash in the dry Sonoran Desert. Their irrigation canals were a hallmark of social and political complexity.