On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, Wendy Hodgson will discuss Arizona’s agaves significance to indigenous peoples. Researchers have revealed that pre-Columbian farmers grew no less than six and possibly eight or more domesticated agaves in Arizona dating to at least A.D. 600. These relict agaves have persisted in the landscape to the present, unchanged since they were last cultivated within a prehistoric cultural context, thus providing a rare opportunity to study pre-Columbian nutrition, trade, migration and agricultural practices. Understanding these plants and their ecological/cultural roles requires interdisciplinary collaboration that must involve Indigenous Peoples.
Wendy is Herbarium Curator Emerita and Senior Research Botanist at the Desert Botanical Garden where she has worked for 52 years. Her studies include the flora of southwest U.S. and northern Mexico, especially the Grand Canyon, agaves, including pre-contact agave domesticates, yuccas, and Hesperoyuccas. She believes in diverse participation and collaboration, including community scientists and especially Indigenous Peoples whose voices we have neglected to hear far too long.
The event will take place at the KSB EcoHub, located at 360 Brewer Road in Sedona, starting at 5:00 p.m. Doors open at 4:30, and the event is free and open to the public.