La Pintada (archaeological site) facts for kids

La Pintada is an amazing ancient site located about 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Hermosillo, a city in Sonora, Mexico. It's found inside a canyon called “La Pintada” within the “Sierra Libre” mountains. This area is part of the huge Sonoran Desert.

This special place is like a hidden treasure. It shows us the history of ancient cultures and has beautiful natural views. The people who lived here long ago were very smart. They knew how to find and use the scarce water and other resources in the desert. The “Sierra Libre” mountains were like an oasis, with many natural water spots. This meant more plants and animals, which helped people survive.

Some experts believe that native groups, like the Seris, Pimas, and Yaquis, used this canyon as a hiding place from the Spanish conquerors. The caves and rock shelters were used as homes, burial sites, and sacred places.

The site is in a region known as Aridoamerica and Oasisamerica. These are different from Mesoamerica, another important cultural area in Mexico. Aridoamerica was home to hunter-gatherers, while Oasisamerica had groups that also farmed.

A Look Back in Time

Evidence shows that people have lived in Sonora for over 10,000 years! The first people were nomads, meaning they moved around a lot. They hunted animals and gathered plants for food. They used tools made from stone, seashells, and wood. Back then, the environment was a bit less harsh than it is today, with more plants spread out.

Farming started to appear in river valleys around 400 BCE to 200 CE. People began making pottery after 750 CE. Between 1100 and 1350 CE, there were small villages with organized societies. These villages traded with other groups. The central coast, however, mostly stayed a hunter-gatherer area because it didn't have enough resources for farming.

Sonora and the northwest of Mexico are not considered part of Mesoamerica. However, there is proof that people in Sonora traded with Mesoamerican cultures.

Ancient Traditions of Sonora

Three main cultures developed in the flat coastal areas of Sonora:

• The Trincheras tradition (750 to 1450 CE) is known for sites with trenches, like the famous Cerro de Trincheras. Their territory stretched from the Gulf of California into northern Sonora.
• The Huatabampo tradition was located south of the Trincheras, along the coast. They had unique pottery and might have disappeared around 1000 CE.
• The Central Coast tradition remained hunter-gatherers. This was because their area didn't have enough resources for farming.

Higher up in the mountains, the Río Sonora and Casas Grandes traditions were important. The Río Sonora culture was in central Sonora and likely ended by the early 1300s. The Casas Grandes culture, from Chihuahua, also influenced parts of the Sonoran coast.

Around the mid-1400s, the climate changed, making Sonora and northwest Mexico more like a desert. This caused many settlements to shrink or disappear. The people who stayed went back to a simpler way of life. Any complex societies that existed before the Spanish arrived were gone by the 1500s.

Native Cultural Groups Today

Many ancient native groups still live in the Sonora region today. They have kept much of their traditional way of life.

• The Mayos, also called the Yoreme, are descendants of the ancient Huatabampo culture. They live along the Mayo River and call themselves "people of the riverbank."
• The Yaquis are a very important cultural group linked to Sonora.
• The Seris call themselves the Conca’ac, which means “the people” in their language. The name Seri comes from another language and means “men of sand.” Seris are generally tall, and the first Spanish explorers called them "giants."
• The Tohono O’odham, sometimes called Pápago, lived in the driest parts of the state. They had connections with groups in Arizona. Their main god is the “Older Brother,” who controls nature.
• The Opatas lived in the center and northwest of Sonora. Their name means “hostile people,” given by the Pimas, because they often fought with their neighbors.
• The Pimas live in the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental. They call themselves the O’oh, meaning “the people.” The Spanish called them Pima because they often said "pima" (meaning "I don't know") when asked questions.
• The Guarijíos are a less-known group, mostly found in the southeast. They are related to the Tarahumaras.
• The Cocopah are the smallest native group in Sonora, with only about 170 members. They live near the U.S. border. Efforts are being made to save their culture and language.
• The Kickapoos are not originally from Sonora. They moved here from the United States over a century ago.

Exploring the La Pintada Site

La Pintada has two main parts:

• Inside the canyon, you can find amazing cave paintings and rock engravings.
• Outside the canyon, on the flat plains, are signs of ancient seasonal camping grounds. Here, archaeologists have found pottery, stone tools, seashells, and grinding tools.

Ancient Camping Grounds

Most of the ancient items found at these camping grounds belong to the Central Coast archaeological tradition. They are similar to things found at other sites along the coast. La Pintada is the site farthest from the coast that shows this tradition.

These camping grounds were most used between 700 and 1600 CE. The types of pottery found suggest that groups from the Central Coast tradition, including the ancestors of today's Seris, lived here. This shows a long history of people using this special place.

Wonderful Cave Paintings

La Pintada is considered a very important ceremonial center, especially for its cave paintings. There are no large buildings or structures here, just the natural canyon.

The rock art at La Pintada is truly special. There are over 400 different styles and designs! These were drawn by different groups of people at different times. It was likely a sacred place where people gathered.

The paintings show us how ancient people saw their world. They tell us about their beliefs and how they lived. It's estimated that there are over 2,500 of these drawings at the site. About 70% of them have been digitally recorded.

These designs are thought to represent the beliefs of the ancient groups who lived here about 1,200 years ago, and even during the time of the Spanish arrival. Since 2007, experts have been carefully studying and recording these ancient artworks. This work has shown that La Pintada was an important place for many different groups. This includes hunter-gatherers from the 12th and 13th centuries, and later, the Seris, Yaquis, and Pimas, who might have used it as a ritual center in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The rock images, made 1,200 years ago, show local animals like deer, reptiles, and birds. These were likely drawn by the first hunter-gatherer groups as part of their ancient rituals.

The most famous painting at La Pintada is called “the deer.” It's one of the largest at the site, measuring about 1 by 1.20 meters (3.3 by 3.9 feet). It shows a native boy riding a deer. This scene matches an old Seri myth about a powerful boy.

Images for kids

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  Cerro de Trincheras, in northwest Sonora.