2002-03 . . . Episode 7 - Cactus and Ruins

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

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I noticed as we were going down to Mexico, the desert terrain really started changing just as we were coming into the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument area and became even more pronounced as we got across the Mexican border - more Cholla, more Saguaro and certainly more Organ Pipe Cacti - so learning a bout the differences and going through the park was very interesting.

The cacti we saw are actually more resistant to the cold but need more moisture. The park, itself, includes a lot of higher areas like the Ajo Mountains mountain ranges and they claim it is the only area that the Organ Pipe grows in the U.S. but it is most abundant on the Mexican side of the border.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is part of the Sonora Desert and just north of the Mexican border. They have set it aside to preserve the Organ Pipe Cactus.

We had our first experience staying on BLM lands. The Bureau of Land Management lands are unimproved areas where you can camp. There are different areas - the long-term costs $125.00 for a season permit and you can stay there for the entire season. Where we stayed, there was no cost, but you are only allowed to stay 14 days at a time. O.K. by us, we've discovered that two weeks works just fine. Being on the BLM land is certainly different experience. Rigs are scattered scarcely over several square miles some in groups and some individually. These folks have actually developed quite a community. We even went to a community breakfast in "Why" and met people from all over.

I became even more struck by the desolation of the desert here because there is so little civilization around us. Again the sunrises and sunsets are most spectacular. The lush farmland from Gila Bend up to Casa Grande is quite a contrast to the mountains and the desert we'd been in for so long.

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Casa Grande

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Casa Grande National Monument is another ancient ruins site.

The Hohokam lived in compounds with a 7 foot high wall surrounding them. The Casa Grande (Big House) was built in the early 1300's and stood about 35 feet high. They thought it may have functioned as an observatory and calendar. There are windows that align with the sun or moon various significant times of the year. It contains hundreds of imported wood beams that was only accessible over fifty miles away. The special building material (caliche) they used is concrete-like and found a few feet underground. Layers of caliche were piled up about every two feet.

The vision of the ancient people living in the dwellings and compounds and

building those huge structures and canals with no machines . . . unbelievable! I am astounded at how many different tribes there were down here and how far back they date. There's evidence of settlements as far back as 9000 BC and there must be over a dozen different, distinctive cultures. The tribe that settled the Casa Grande area were the Hohokams and they actually were farmers and had extensive irrigation systems.

 

The Tohono O'odham (near where we camped) traditionally seem to be much closer to the Navajo. They depended a lot more on the wild life for their food. I've been looking for some traditional foods but haven't found any yet.

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