“[This book] presents a great amount of new information for a poorly known or understood area of northern Mexico, and provides a pleasant integration of the methods and theories of anthropology, geography, and ecology in a well-organized manner. . . . This report represents an important contribution to our understanding of cultural evolution and environmental adaptation in the Valley of Sonora and lays a strong framework for future studies and discussions.”—Journal of Arizona History

William E. Doolittle, a geographer, has conducted field work in northern Mexico, especially in Sonora, and in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. His principal interest is cultural ecology, particularly the analysis of prehistoric and traditional present-day agricultural ecosystems, land use patterns, and settlements. He obtained Bachelor’s degrees in government and geography from Texas Christian University (1974), a Master’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia (1976), and his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Oklahoma (1979). Although his graduate degrees are in geography, he received extensive training in anthropology. He was Assistant Professor Geology and Geography at Mississippi State University for two years prior to moving to the University of Texas at Austin in 1981, where he is an Associate Professor of Geography. He has published papers on prehistoric and traditional agriculture and agricultural development theory.

“The author’s presentation is crisp and lucid throughout.”—Latin American Anthropology Review

“Overall, this book is an excellent and interesting study. Rarely are the insights of archaeology and ethnohistory so advantageously employed together.”—Ethnohistory

“Doolittle has provided us with a very detailed description of the Valley of Sonora and for those of us interested in Northern Mexico he has pulled together a great deal of information and focused it on the issue of how the past is to be interpreted. This is an important issue.”—Agricultural History