Our 3-day hike began from the home of our guide. His rancho is a 15-minute truck ride from the village of San Francisco de la Sierra, which is about a two hour drive from the small city of San Ignacio, in the geographic center of Baja
California. Goat-herding provides the major livelihood in these mountains. No telephone or power lines reach into these remote areas. Note that despite the simple construction of the house and outbuildings, there is a solar panel. Many
folks have a 2-way radio and a few have a satellite dish and TV. (picture 1, left.)
Our guide rode a mule and led the four burros which carried our camping gear and provisions. We three tourists chose to hike and enjoyed the absence of heavy loads on our backs. When we encountered another pack-train, the guides would stop to chat. (picture 2, right)
We had begun on a plateau but soon entered and followed a canyon. (picture 3) The next day we finally spotted our first cave, Cueva Pintada (picture 4). It is the largest and most painted cave known in Baja. To enter it, we had to scramble a few hundred feet up the rugged canyon wall. The are palm trees growing in the
bottom of the canyon, nourished by an intermittent stream.
The "cave" is a space where one layer of rock partly eroded away from more durable layers above and below it (picture 5). The day was overcast with occasional showers, but the shallow interior was still adequately illuminated by daylight. That was fortunate, since flash-photography is forbidden.
The paintings were found all over the cave's ceilings and walls, (picture 6) generally protected from rainfall or direct sunlight.
Many human figures are painted different colors on their two sides and have fancy headdresses. (picture 7) The animal is a stag deer, as shown by its antlers. Its large ears suggest a mule-deer, common to the area.
One painting often occurs on top of another. In some cases the overlay makes a nice composition, but in other cases it appears haphazard. The crumbliness of the wall is evident in the top right of the picture, where a rock has fallen out.
In another cave, Flechas, several of the figures had arrows or spears drawn over or piercing them. (picture 8)
A rabbit is seen in picture 9, on left.
Two birds, (picture 10, on right) resemble perching cormorants, with wings extended to dry. These waterfowl seem unlikely in the arid mountains, but could be commonly seen 30 miles away along the Sea of Cortez. This, and pictures of marine mammals and fish are evidence of the migratory ways of the painters.
These two birds might represent condors, once common throughout the west coast of Mexico and the US. (picture 11, on left)
I call this "A Mixed Party With Stags." Can you recognize one figure as female? (picture 12 on right)
We have many more photos, but we have restrained ourselves here. We depart with a wave from this pointy-headed chap. (picture 13, left)
