A BRIEF HISTORY OF SONORA (Vers. February 26, 2015) © Richard C. Brusca NOTE: Being but a brief overview, this essay cannot The origin of the name “Sonora” is do justice to Sonora’s long and colorful history, but it unclear. The first record of the name is probably hopefully provides a condensed introduction to this that of explorer Francisco Vásquez de marvelous state. Readers with a serious interest in Coronado, who passed through the region in Sonora should consult the fine histories and 1540 and called part of the area the Valle de La geographies of the region, many of which are cited in Sonora. Francisco de Ibarra also traveled the References section. The topic of Spanish colonial through the area in 1567 and referred to the history has a rich literature, in particular, and no Valles de la Señora. attempt has been made to include all of those citations in the References (although the most Four major river systems occur in the state targeted and comprehensive treatments are of Sonora, to empty into the Sea of Cortez: the included). All photographs by R.C. Brusca, unless Río Colorado, Río Yaqui, Río Mayo, and otherwise indicated. This is a draft chapter for a planned book on the Sea of Cortez; the most current massive Río Fuerte. Several smaller rivers version of this draft can be 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 least intermittently) emptied into the Gulf of For many reasons, Sonora has historically been California although they no longer do. The rather isolated from the rest of Mexico. It is the headwaters of the San Pedro River also farthest state from Mexico City and long viewed originate in Sonora, but the river flows by the 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 government of Mexico City largely ignores The eastern part of the state comprises their presence. In fact, until the completion of the western slopes of the Sierra Madre the “Yécora Highway” (Mex Hwy 16) in 1992, Occidental range—part of the great North Sonora was even largely isolated from its American Cordillera. The highest elevations are neighbor state of Chihuahua. For these in the Sierra de los Ajos and Sierra San Luis in reasons, and because of the state’s location on northeastern Sonora. In addition to the Sierra the border with the U.S., cultural and economic Madre range, about 35 high isolated ranges ties often seem stronger between Sonora and (often called Sky Islands) are found west of the Arizona than between Sonora and Mexico City Sierra Madre in the northern half of the state (despite the recent construction of the much- (and another 33 Sky Island ranges occur in despised border fence). southeastern Arizona/southwestern New 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), 2 The State of Sonora encompasses 69,249 mi Sierra La Charola (2520 m), Sierra San Luis 2 (179,355 km ), 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 for visitors to the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of and Sinaloan Thornscrub lies near the center of California). Its population is about three million. the state, whereas some of the most arid desert regions of North America occur in the northwest, in the Gran Desierto de Altar. This topographic The Pinacate area of northwest Sonora is and climatological mix makes Sonora one of the unique for being home to North America’s most biologically diverse regions of the world. second largest lava flow region (the Snake River An estimated 5,000 species of vascular plants Plain basalt fields of Idaho are slightly larger) are reported from Sonora—20% of Mexico’s and its largest active sand dune field, the latter total flora, in an area of less than 10% of the running northwestward from just north of Puerto country. Peñasco (Sonora) to Yuma (Arizona). The dune field embraces the western slopes of the Sierra In general, precipitation in Sonora Pinacate, and it completely surrounds the decreases from higher to lower elevations, from isolated granitic Sierra del Rosario (probably the south to north, and from east to west. In the westernmost Basin-and-Range mountain in pine-oak forests around Yécora (1550 m; 5085 North America). This 5700 km2 (2200 mi2) dune ft) average annual precipitation exceeds 90 cm field is estimated to have developed during and (35.5 inches), and in the tropical deciduous following the last Glacial Maximum (~20,000 forests near Alamos (440 m; 1444 ft) it is around years ago). The dunes were built almost entirely 65 cm (26 in). However, in the volcanic desert from wind-transported Colorado River deltaic of the Pinacate region in northwestern Sonora, sands piled up over the centuries from prevailing average annual precipitation is less than 25 cm Westerlies. Thus, these dunes are largely the (9 in) per year, and in the extremely arid Gran eroded rocks of the Grand Canyon! East of the Desierto de Altar (near the lowermost Río Pinacates, along Hwy 8 between the town of Colorado) average annual precipitation is just 4- Sonoyta and the entrance to the Pinacate 7.5 cm (1.5-3.0 in) per year. During summer Biosphere Reserve, is a field of ancient, months, temperatures exceeding 38°C (100°F) stabilized dunes. These are much older dunes, are common in the Gran Desierto, and the high perhaps hundreds of thousands of years in age, summer air temperatures here drive up but their origin is unclear. evapotranspiration (i.e., loss of water from plant 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 Pacific Ocean that border the Sonoran Desert, thus making this a maritime desert. The traditional start of the monsoons (las aguas) is Pillowed pahoehoe lava, Pinacates June 24, Saint John the Baptist’s Day, or el Día Topographically and demographically, the de San Juan. Saint John, who baptized Jesus in State of Sonora can be thought of as having two the River Jordan, is celebrated in many ways great regions, with different geological and throughout the Catholic world. cultural histories (see West 1993). The eastern 2 mountain region, called La Serrana (the important food sources, and are still collected highland), comprises the western slopes and and consumed by the Seri People (Comcáac) foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental. It was and others, as well as being enjoyed as originally inhabited by Native American delicacies by modern Sonorans. (indigenous) hunters and gatherers, later by indigenous farmers, and then in the 17th and The hearts, or trunk and leaf bases of 18th centuries by Jesuit missionaries and agaves (what many Mexicans call maguey), Spanish and mestizo miners and ranchers. known as cabezas, were gathered and slow Today it is losing population because its younger roasted by native people to prepare a sweet and generation is moving to the cities, and it has nutritious food called mezcal. Spaniards quickly become major marijuana and heroine-poppy learned to ferment and distill the mezcal to growing areas and is confronting narcotrafficking create the liquors we know today as mescal as drugs move north to the U.S. The Western (and its regional variants, e.g., bacanora) and Lowland, on the other hand, was originally only tequila. By law, tequila is always made from the sparsely populated by indigenous people. In the blue agave, a variety of Agave angustifolia late 18th century, the lowlands were exploited by known as A. angustifolia tequilana (or A.