Zuni Peublo is a valley located in the Zuni River valley in the north western portion of New Mexico. Evidence of human occupation in the area dates to before 5,000 B.C. It wasn’t until after 1,500 B.C. that the people in Zuni acquired corn. “ZuniPueblo1850” by Richard H. Kern; Peter S. Duval – Senate Ex. doc. 1st Sess. 31 st Cong. No. 64. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ZuniPueblo1850.jpg#/media/File:ZuniPueblo1850.jpg
Early forms of maize wasn’t as productive as other forms of food, but was easily to store. Around 1,000 B.C. foragers grew small quantities of maize and stored it in upland caves. The appearance of maize also coincides with the construction of storage pits and fire-pits. https://coloradoplateauhorticulture.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/zea-mays-1-zuni-blue-corn-and-the-wisdom-of-zuni-agriculture-in-the-dry-southwest/
Recent discoveries near Zuni pueblo in New Mexico indicate that early cultivation systems could have incorporated small scale irrigation techniques similar to this Hohokam canal found close to the Zuni Peublo. https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_human_ecology.php