A BRIEF HISTORY of SONORA (Vers
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF SONORA (Vers. 29 September 2017) © Richard C. Brusca for visitors to the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of NOTE: Being but a brief overview, this essay cannot California). Its population is about three million. do justice to Sonora’s long and colorful history, but it hopefully provides a condensed introduction to this The origin of the name “Sonora” is marvelous state. Readers with a serious interest in unclear. The first record of the name is probably Sonora should consult the fine histories and that of explorer Francisco Vásquez de geographies of the region, many of which are cited in Coronado, who passed through the region in the References section. The topic of Spanish colonial 1540 and called part of the area the Valle de La history has a rich literature, in particular, and no Sonora. Francisco de Ibarra also traveled attempt has been made to include all of those through the area in 1567 and referred to the citations in the References (although the most targeted and comprehensive treatments are Valles de la Señora. included). Also see my “Bibliography on the Gulf of Four major river systems occur in the state California” at www.rickbrusca.com. All photographs by R.C. Brusca, unless otherwise noted. This is a of Sonora, to empty into the Sea of Cortez: the draft chapter for a planned book on the Sea of Cortez; Río Colorado, Río Yaqui, Río Mayo, and the most current version of this draft can be massive Río Fuerte. Several smaller rivers downloaded at originate almost entirely within the state, http://rickbrusca.com/http___www.rickbrusca.com_ind including the Río Sonoyta, Río Magdalena-Altar- ex.html/Sea_of_Cortez.html Asunción-Concepción, Río San Miguel, Rio Zanion, and Río Sonora, and these also once (at For many reasons, Sonora has historically been least intermittently) emptied into the Gulf of rather isolated from the rest of Mexico. It is the California although they no longer do. The farthest state from Mexico City, except for Baja headwaters of the San Pedro River also California, and it has long been viewed by the originate in Sonora, but the river flows country’s strong central government as a northward, crossing into the U.S. as one the last “frontier region” or, worse, a dry desert remaining undammed rivers in Arizona. The wasteland. Its colonial history is not as deep or Santa Cruz River originates in Arizona, flows rich as that of central-southern Mexico, and its South into Sonora, and then turns North again to archeological past lacks remains of the great re-enter the U.S. at Nogales, eventually running civilizations from the south (Aztecs, Mayas, all the way to the Gila River in central Arizona. Toltecs, etc.). Even today, many Sonorans feel The eastern part of the state comprises the government of Mexico City largely ignores the western slopes of the Sierra Madre their presence. In fact, until the completion of Occidental range—part of the great North the “Yécora Highway” (Mex Hwy 16) in 1992, American Cordillera. The highest elevations are Sonora was even largely isolated from its in the Sierra de los Ajos and Sierra San Luis in neighbor state of Chihuahua. For these northeastern Sonora. In addition to the Sierra reasons, and because of the state’s location on Madre range, about 35 high isolated ranges the border with the U.S., cultural and economic (often called Sky Islands) are found west of the ties often seem stronger between Sonora and Sierra Madre in the northern half of the state Arizona than between Sonora and Mexico City (and another 33 Sky Island ranges occur in (despite the recent construction of the much- southeastern Arizona/southwestern New despised border fence). Mexico). The six highest mountains in the state LAND AND BIOTIC DIVERSITY are Cerro Pico Guacamayas (2625 m), Sierra Los Ajos (2620 m), Sierra San José (2540 m), The State of Sonora encompasses 69,249 mi2 Sierra La Charola (2520 m), Sierra San Luis (179,355 km2), making it the second largest of (2520 m), and Sierra La Mariquita (2500 m). Mexico’s 31 states (not including the Federal District). Located west of Chihuahua (Mexico’s Sonora encompasses a biological largest state), Sonora shares its northern border transition zone, with tropical ecosystems in the almost exclusively with Arizona, and it is south, subtropical deserts in the north, and topographically, ecologically, and biologically montane transitions in the sierras. The northern diverse. It is the most common gateway state limit of Mexico’s Tropical Deciduous (Dry) Forest and Sinaloan Thornscrub lies near the center of de San Juan. Saint John, who baptized Jesus in the state, whereas some of the most arid desert the River Jordan, is celebrated in many ways regions of North America occur in the northwest, throughout the Catholic world. in the Gran Desierto de Altar. This topographic and climatological mix makes Sonora one of the The Pinacate area of northwest Sonora is most biologically diverse regions of the world. unique for being home to North America’s An estimated 5,000 species of vascular plants second largest lava flow region (the Snake River are reported from Sonora—20% of Mexico’s Plain basalt fields of Idaho are slightly larger) total flora, in an area of less than 10% of the and its largest active sand dune field, the latter country. running northwestward from just north of Puerto Peñasco (Sonora) to Yuma (Arizona). The dune In general, precipitation in Sonora field embraces the western slopes of the Sierra decreases from higher to lower elevations, from Pinacate, and it completely surrounds the south to north, and from east to west. In the isolated granitic Sierra del Rosario (probably the pine-oak forests around Yécora (1550 m; 5085 westernmost Basin-and-Range mountain in ft) average annual precipitation exceeds 90 cm North America). This 5700 km2 (2200 mi2) dune (35.5 inches), and in the tropical deciduous field is estimated to have developed during and forests near Alamos (440 m; 1444 ft) it is around following the last Glacial Maximum (~20,000 65 cm (26 in). However, in the volcanic desert years ago). The dunes were built almost entirely of the Pinacate region in northwestern Sonora, from wind-transported Colorado River deltaic average annual precipitation is less than 25 cm sands piled up over the centuries from prevailing (9 in) per year, and in the extremely arid Gran Westerlies. Thus, these dunes are largely the Desierto de Altar (near the lowermost Río eroded rocks of the Grand Canyon! East of the Colorado) average annual precipitation is just 4- Pinacates, along Hwy 8 between the town of 7.5 cm (1.5-3.0 in) per year. During summer Sonoyta and the entrance to the Pinacate months, temperatures exceeding 38°C (100°F) Biosphere Reserve, is a field of ancient, are common in the Gran Desierto, and the high stabilized dunes. These are much older dunes, summer air temperatures here drive up perhaps hundreds of thousands of years in age, evapotranspiration (i.e., loss of water from plant but their origin is unclear. leaves and soil). Historically, the highest temperature recorded for anywhere in northwestern Mexico was 56.7°C (134°F) in the Sierra Blanca of the Pinacate region (near where the El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve’s visitor center is today). In spring and fall, rain is infrequent at best, although occasional tropical storms do reach Sonora in the fall. Summer temperature extremes are mitigated by rains, called monsoons (or las aguas—the waters), characterized by strong afternoon thunderstorms. Less violent winter storms, called equipatas, are derived from Pacific frontal storms with ultimate origins as far north as Alaska. (The name equipatas comes from the Yaqui language and literally means “gentle winter rains.”) This biannual rainfall pattern is a key reason that the Sonoran Desert has one of the highest biological diversities in the world. Almost all of the summer and fall moisture comes from the Sea of Cortez and adjacent tropical Pacific Ocean that border the Sonoran Desert, thus making this a maritime desert. The Pillowed pahoehoe lava, Pinacates traditional start of the monsoons (las aguas) is Topographically and demographically, the June 24, Saint John the Baptist’s Day, or el Día State of Sonora can be thought of as having two 2 great regions, with different geological and pringlei, also called sahueso) cacti were all cultural histories (see West 1993). The eastern important food sources, and are still collected mountain region, called La Serrana (the and consumed by the Seri People (Comcáac) highland), comprises the western slopes and and others, as well as being enjoyed as foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental. It was delicacies by modern Sonorans. originally inhabited by Native American (indigenous) hunters and gatherers, later by The introduction of corn (Zea mays), indigenous farmers, and then in the 17th and which was first domesticated in south-central 18th centuries by Jesuit missionaries and Mexico, into Sonora and the American Spanish and mestizo miners and ranchers. Southwest is usually attributed to Uto-Aztecan- Today it is losing population because its younger speaking groups who spread throughout much generation is moving to the cities, and it has of the region between 3000 and 1000 B.C. A become major marijuana and heroine-poppy popular hypothesis suggests that the timing of growing areas and is confronting narcotrafficking the dispersal is likely related to environmental as drugs move north to the U.S. The Western conditions following the end of the warm and dry Lowland, on the other hand, was originally only Altithermal Period (middle Holocene), as Uto- sparsely populated by indigenous people.