Nobody in the New World moved water more efficiently than the Salado Indians. The canals they built to sustain their large and complex agricultural society are still considered an engineering marvel. The Salado people lived around the Mesa area of Central Arizona for almost 1,500 years. They appeared around 1 CE and disappeared about 1450. Their agricultural society flourished around the middle Gila River and Salt River. This essay will be telling about size and durability of the canals, how the canals were constructed, and how exactly they were used.

Salado canals had lots of remarkable features that still stand. First, they were wide at the mouth and carefully tapered, getting smaller as secondary branches drew water from the main channel. …show more content…
The canals were built to bring in water for their crops and for them to drink. The crops that they grew were nicknamed the Three Sisters; they consisted of corn, squash, and beans. If they did not have enough water for their crops the crops would not grow and they would eventually die. So the canals had to be perfect so that the crops could have enough water to survive in the desert heat of the tonto basin region. The animals that the Salado had also needed to have water they could easily get to throughout the day. They also used the water to cook and boil the food that they harvested and put so much effort …show more content…
The reasons for this mass abandonment remain unknown to this day. Perhaps disease or war threatened the population. Perhaps flood damaged the canal infrastructure, or drought brought hardship. There is also speculation that a great leader died, causing the people to drift away and migrate. Thanks for reading my essay telling about size and durability of the canals, how the canals were constructed, and how exactly they were