This week and next, we’re going to shift our focus to a place, and eventually a time, closer to home: the American West. We’ll be looking briefly at the ancient past, using as our case study the irrigation practices of the Hohokam and Tohono O’odham peoples. We’ll also check in with the 20th- and 21st-century Tohono O’odham to see how they are faring with regards to water rights, and how Americans’ use of water, and especially their engineering of water systems, has affected the Tohono O’odham.

We will then fast forward to the twentieth-century West and considering—surprise!—the habits, beliefs, and values of water users. We’ll consider in particular how the relatively arid West uses (and abuses) water, and how one state has engineered multiple approaches to drought.

For now, continue to Module 9.1.