Agriculture in the prehistoric Southwest
After the Hohokam disappeared, Spanish explorers of the 16th century noted the use of canal irrigation in only two areas of the Southwest: eastern Sonora, primarily practiced by the Opata and Lower Pima, and among the Pueblos of northern New Mexico. Irrigation by the Opata and Pueblos had different objectives. In Sonora, with a long growing season, two crops of maize a year were grown in river valleys. The spring crop during the dry season was dependent upon irrigation; the summer and fall crop during the rainy season utilized irrigation to supplement rainfall. The necessity of irrigation probably required a high level of social organization. In New Mexico, with only one crop of maize per year possible, irrigation was supplemental and the lesser dependence on irrigation implies less social organization than in Sonora.
Durango
As a rural, traditional state, agriculture is still the main economic activity for most of the population even though only ten percent of the land is suitable for crops and another fifteen percent can be used for pasture. The main crops include corn, beans, chili peppers, apples, alfalfa and sorghum. Fruits such as apples and pears are grown in Canatlán, Nuevo Ideal and Guatimapé; nuts in Nazas and San Juan del Rio: membrillo, apricots and peaches in Nombre de Dios. Most, and the most profitable, agriculture is concentrated in the Valleys region and this is concentrated in the municipalities of Guadalupe Victoria and Poanas. It is supported by its three main rivers: the Florida, the Alto Nazas and the Tunal-Mezquital, which have been dammed primarily for this purpose. Pastures in this area support large herds of cattle, much of which are exported to the United States. Sheep and goats are also raised here.