Tucson Botanical Gardens: Pre-contact Agaves in the Southwestern United States – Rediscovering Lost Crops among the Hohokam and other Arizona Cultures
Agaves have long been recognized for their importance in Mesoamerica, but their significance to Indigenous peoples north of the U.S.–Mexico border has only recently gained broader attention. Research shows that pre-Columbian farmers cultivated multiple domesticated agave varieties in Arizona as early as A.D. 600, with many surviving today as living remnants of ancient agricultural systems....