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“Chukui Kawi/Cerro Prieto: Yoeme Sacred Mountain, Hohokam Trincheras, and Petroglyphs” Tour
October 27, 2018 @ 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
On Saturday, October 27, 2018, Old Pueblo Archaeology Center is offering the “Chukui Kawi/Cerro Prieto: Yoeme Sacred Mountain, Hohokam Trincheras, and Petroglyphs” car-caravan cultural sites tour with Yoeme traditional culture specialist Felipe S. Molina and archaeologist Allen Dart. Participants will be meeting at 8:00 a.m. at the McDonald’s restaurant located at 13934 N. Sandario Rd., Marana, Arizona (accessible from Interstate 10 Exit 236 (Marana).
Cerro Prieto (Spanish for ‘Dark Hill’), a volcanic peak that rises about 900 feet above the surrounding plain in the Ironwood Forest National Monument northwest of Tucson, is a sacred place known to the Yoeme (Yaqui Indians) as Chukui Kawi (‘Black Mountain’). Situated in close proximity to the Inscription Hill and Pan Quemado petroglyph sites, Cerro Prieto also s one of the largest and most complex U.S. archaeological sites featuring trincheras – massive rock-work terraces built on steep hillsides. The site’s archaeological features were constructed and used by the Hohokam culture during the Tanque Verde phase (AD 1150-1300) and include house foundations, waffle gardens, check dams, trail systems, petroglyphs, rock walls, talus pits, and a stone source used to produce agave knives, suggesting its use for a variety of residential functions, ceremonies, and agriculture. During this trip, Yoeme traditional culture specialist Felipe Molina will discuss the significance of Chukui Kawi to the Yoeme, and archaeologist Al Dart will lead us to some of the Cerro Prieto trincheras and the nearby Pan Quemado and Inscription Hill petroglyphs.
A $45 donation per participant ($36 for members of Old Pueblo Archaeology Center & Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary) helps cover Old Pueblo’s tour expenses and supports education programs on archaeology and Yoeme traditional culture. Reservations and donation prepayments required by 5 p.m. Wednesday October 24: 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org.
Some petroglyphs at Inscription Hill photographed by Tom Herrick.