High-rise office buildings towered incongruously over the desert. Broad streets led into the far distance, and huddled apartment buildings and carefully ordered subdivisions were scattered over arid terrain. The sun was setting behind us, casting long shadows, but Phoenix shimmered beneath us. The propjet's engine slowed and I woke abruptly, watching an almost surreal urban landscape come into view as we descended. This excerpt from Fagan's book centers on the Hohokam people, who used an elaborate network of canals to support a society that flourished in the area around Phoenix, Arizona, until about 550 years ago. It is no exaggeration to say that civilization itself is built on a foundation of water. For thousands of years, societies have found inventive ways to provide water for their fields and their people in spite of fickle climates. Brian Fagan's soon-to-be-released book Elixir: A History of Water and Humankind, provides an in-depth examination of the history of water control. The remains of a canal network are still visible near the airport.Īt a time when water is still relatively inexpensive and abundant, at least in the industrialized world, it is easy to forget that controlling water was a necessary first step to feed and quench the thirst of the people who built the first cities. The city of Phoenix was built on the ruins of a Hohokam settlement that is between 1,500 and 550 years old. Could the solution be under the city itself in the vast and ancient irrigation networks of the Hohokam people?
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