TYPE: Casa Grande Red-on-Buff

DATE: A.D. 1125 – 1450 (Wallace 2003;465)

COMMON FORMS: Jars, pitchers, and regular shaped bowls are the most common forms. Helmet bowls are no longer being produced. Some jars have a “classic” shaped shoulder (see vessel #H1Y below) while others have a low sharp "Gila" shoulder (see vessel #5Y), other jars exhibit a round or “normal” shoulder (see vessel #H2Y), still other jars have a "high" shoulder, which will be high on the body (see vessel #12N). Many small jars and pitchers have a “normal” or round shaped shoulder and bottom. Most all jars and pitchers have a straight neck that vary in length.

COMMON COLORS: Buff to white slipped or unslipped brown.

EXTERIOR TREATMENT: Hand smoothed or tool polished.

PASTE: May or may not be porous.  Commonly with or without observable mica.

DESIGN PLACEMENT: Casa Grande Red-on-Buff jars usually have two bands of design, a large design on the body, and a smaller secondary design on the neck. (The preceding Sacaton phase jars usually don’t have enough space on the neck for a design.) Primary designs are usually on the exterior of bowls greater than ¼ of a sphere, and usually do not have a smaller lesser design near or to the rim on the interior. The primary design usually has a lower framing line at the bottom and normally not at the top (the design usually goes to the rim). Most jars and pitchers have a secondary neck design.

COMMON DESIGNS: “decorated with panels of straight lines, etc. This is the most obvious feature which characterizes the Red-on-Buff pottery of the classic period and renders it distinct from that of the Sedentary” (Haury 1965:265,266). Panels of straight lines are a diagnostic trait of the classic period. I believe this holds true for the Tanque Verde Phase in the Tucson Basin as well. Other common designs are connected chevron patterns with alternating straight and wavy lines (commonly found painted on earlier period types).

KEY DIFFERENCE(S): Primary designs are on the exteriors of bowls greater than a ¼ of a sphere. Jars have straight necks often with a design on the neck, along with round,"Gila", or “classic” shaped shoulders. Many Early Casa Grande Red-on-Buff jars exhibit "Gila" shoulders at the bottom of the vessel. Others have rounded "Gila" shoulders at the mid-body level of the vessel.

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1Y Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff olla, with a classic shoulder and

tall straight neck (AD 1125 - 1450).  This vessel has somewhat of a plaited layout with wavy-line hatching on the body and neck designs.

Approximate Dimensions: 6 3/4" or 17.2cm. by 6 3/4" or 17.2cm.

2Y Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff pitcher (with a rounded or normal bottom), the body design has independent or "divorced" wavy lines, nested upside down chevrons, triangles with wavy line hatching and sun designs on the neck (AD 1125 - 1300).

Approximate Dimensions: 5 1/2" or 14cm. by 5 1/2" or 14cm.

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3N Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff olla, with a rounded shoulder and tall straight neck (AD 1125 - 1300).  The design has independent wavy lines and alternate straight and wavy lines.  The neck design appears to be "tasseling" with a continuous line.

4N Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff olla, with a rounded bottom and a medium sized straight neck (AD 1125 - 1300).  The body design has independent wavy lines, negative lightning bolts, dots, wavy line hatching, and alternate straight and wavy-line nested chevrons.  The neck design has vertical hatching, barbed lines, and crosses.

5N Hohokam (Early) Casa Grande Red-on-Buff Olla (AD 1125 - 1300).

It has the diagnostic form of a "sharp" or "knife edge" gila shoulder with a straight neck that has a  wavy line painted on it. The body design consists of: solid triangles, barbed lines, capped fringe, rectilinear scrolls, and interlocking rectilinear scrolls. Well polished.

Approximate Dimensions: 7 1/2" or 19cm. by 5 3/4" or 14.5cm.

6N Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff Olla (Safford variety) with a rounded

gila shoulder (AD 1125 - 1300).  The body design is solid triangles with conjoined and interlocking rectilinear scrolls. The neck has a diagonally hatched band around it.

7N Hohokam (Early) Casa Grande Red-on-Buff Olla, with a design

of rectilinear interlocking scrolls, straight and wavy line hatching, and crosses (AD 1125 - 1300).

8N Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff Olla (AD 1125 - 1300).

This perhaps earlier piece, has no neck design. The rectilinear S bullseyes seem to be a holdover from Sacaton Red-on-Buff, yet the thick linework and straight neck are diagnostic of

Casa Grande Red-on-Buff.

Approximate Dimensions: 10 1/2" or 26.7 cm. by 8" or 20.3 cm.

9Y Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff Olla with a low rounded "Gila" shoulder (AD 1125 - 1300).

Approximate Dimensions: 12 3/4" or 32.3 cm by 8 1/4" or 21 cm

10N Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff Olla (AD 1125 - 1300).

A nice example of a jar with a rounded gila shoulder.  The body has a band design of thick line, diamond shaped, interlocking scrolls, while the band design on the neck is thin line, diamond shaped, interlocking scrolls.

11N Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff Olla (AD 1125 - 1300).

12N Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff Jar.

This vessel has a "high" shoulder about midway of the body.

13N Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff Jar

14N Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff Bowl

Approximate Dimensions: 6 1/8" by 4"

15Y Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff Shouldered Olla

Approximate Dimensions: 13 7/8" by 11 1/8"

16Y Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff Olla with a round non-shouldered bottom.

Approximate Dimensions: 10 1/2" by 9 1/4"

17N Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff  Shouldered Olla

Approximate Dimensions: 10" by 8 1/4"

18N Hohokam Casa Grande Red-on-Buff  Double Shouldered Olla

Approximate Dimensions: 11 1/2" by 8 5/8"

This page last revised: 08/25/2011

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