What We Do: Information

LAS CAPAS — “THE LAYERS”

The village of Las Capas was built at the confluence of the Santa Cruz River and the Rillito and Canada Del Oro washes. The site was occupied during what archaeologists now call the Early Agricultural Period (from 2000 B.C. to A.D. 50). Recent plans to expand the Pima County sewage treatment plant provided the opportunity to uncover a large portion of this ancient farming village. Detailed excavations revealed layer upon layer of ancient farming plots, irrigation canals, and the impressions left by ancient pit houses.

Farming Area at Las Capas - By Henry Wallace

Chalk marks outline irrigation canals and farm fields

Blowing Smoke – Ancient Pipes from Las Capas

  Fine Grained Grainte Pipe from Las Capas

A fine-grained granite pipe from the ancient farming village of Las Capas

On page 7 of Archaeology Southwest (Vol. 24, Nos. 1–2), archaeologist and ground stone expert Dr. Jenny Adams discusses her studies of these types of ancient stone and clay pipes. These pipes have been digitized (converted to three-dimensional data) for presentation as 3D models that can be displayed over the Internet. Take a moment to more closely examine these objects found underground in Tucson.

Fine-Grained Granite Pipe

Vesicular Basalt Pipe

Fired Clay Pipe

Small Vesicular Basalt Pipe
Fine-grained Granite Pipe Vesicular Basalt Pipe Fired Clay Pipe Vesicular Basalt Pipe


Select an object to view the interactive 3D model.

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