Caption: Bavispe, a historic mountain town and municipal seat in the Sierra Madre Occidental of northeastern Sonora, Mexico, established by the Jesuit missionary Cristóbal García in 1645

On Thursday, January 21, 2026, Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s “Third Thursday Food for Thought” presentation will feature “Ópatas, Guarijios, and their Associates in Northwest Mexico: Who Were They?” by research social scientist David Yetman, Ph.D. This free online Zoom presentation will be held from 7:00-8:30 pm, ARIZONA/Mountain Standard Time.

When Spanish chroniclers arrived in what is now Sonora, Mexico, they noted numerous Indigenous peoples in addition to the well-known Mayos, Pimas, and Yaquis. Among the others were the Ópatas, who numbered perhaps 60,000, and the Guarijíos, around 2,000. The more populous Ópatas have disappeared, yet the Guarijíos remain. What happened? University of Arizona Research Social Scientist Emeritus David Yetman whose studies have focused on the peoples and land of northwest Mexico, will explore this question. Dr. Yetman is a Research Social Scientist Emeritus at the Southwest Center of the University of Arizona whose studies have focused on peoples and land of northwest Mexico. Currently the host of the PBS documentary series “In the Americas with David Yetman,” he has authored numerous books about Mexico and Arizona, including The Ópatas. In Search of a Sonoran People and The Guarijíos of the Sierra Madre: Hidden People of Northwestern Mexico.

To register for the Zoom webinar go to https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8YkltRPkQDmx6woHOGTpcg. For more information contact Old Pueblo at info@oldpueblo.org or 520-798-1201.

Flyer: 20270121(v1)ThirdThursday_DavidYetman_ÓpatasGuarijios&TheirAssociatesInNorthwestMexico