Salado culture, or Salado Horizon, is a human culture of the Tonto Basin in southeastern Arizona from approximately 1150 CE through the 15th century.Distinguishing characteristics of the Salado include distinctive Salado Polychrome pottery, communities within walled adobe compounds, and burial of the dead (rather than cremation).
The Salado are farmers, using simple irrigation techniques to water fields of maize, beans, pumpkins, amaranth, and cotton.
They also hunt local game and gather buds, leaves, and roots to supplement their diet.
They trade with other cultures, as indicated by archaeological finds of seashells from the Gulf of California and macaw feathers from Mexico.
