VIII. PIMAN INDIANS OF THE SONORAN DESERT
507
desertii), Huachuca agave (A. parryi var. huachucensis), and mescal (A.
palmed). The last two species grow beyond the desert in the Upper Sonoran life zone (Shreve and Wiggins, 1964, pp. 68-77; Benson and Darrow,
1944, pp. 78 and 94). Other important plants in central Pimeria Alta
include the juniper (Juniperus spp.), oak (Quercus spp.), Mexican pifion
(Pinus cembroides), Mexican tea (Ephedra trifurea), boundary ephedra
(E. nevadensis var. aspera), beargrass (Nolina microcarpa), and the
organ pipe cactus (Lemaireocereus thurberi) (see Fig. 1).
d. Water. The number of charcos and springs as sources of surface
water is much larger in central Pimeria Alta then it is in the west. Because
of greater rainfall, increased runoff, and cooler temperatures, moreover,
the charcos, the important water holes in the intermontane plains, are
likely to retain water for longer periods of time. Rock tanks, although they
occur here, are insignificant sources of water.
It can be stated, in general, that every major valley in this central region
has its charcos, and that all of them are capable of holding water for
periods of 1-3 months or more after the seasonal rains. Permanent springs,
on the other hand, are confined to the foothills and mountains, with the
flow in most of them increasing after rains. Not all these springs are plotted
on maps; it is likely that every mountain range in central Pimeria Alta
has one or more springs. Important and better-known springs are in the
Sand Tank Mountains at Mesquite Tank; at Sauceda; at Poso Verde in
the Poso Verde Mountains in Sonora; in the Coyote Mountains, with two
springs on the west slope and one on the east slope in Mendoza Canyon;
at the village of Sil Nakya at the northeast end of the North Comobabi
Mountains; in at least a dozen places on both slopes of the Baboquivari
Mountains; and in at least a dozen additional places beyond the desert
in the Tumacacori and adjacent mountains. Hackenberg (1964a, pp.
66-67) lists 44 "aboriginal" watering places for the Arizona portion of
central Pimeria Alta, and nearly all of these are springs or places dependent on spring water.
e. Animal Life. Except that western Pimeria Alta has varieties of certain species of fauna that are peculiar to it and that the central region
has no seacoast, the animal inventory for both areas is essentially the
same. The crucial difference between them lies in population sizes: central
Pimeria has more wildlife. Mule and white-tailed deer which are infrequent
in the western desert are found commonly scattered in the region to its
east. Desert bighorn sheep are today rare in the central area, presumably
having been decimated by firearms-using Homo sapiens, but there is no
reason to believe that they were formerly less abundant here than elsewhere. The same situation prevails with respect to the Sonoran pronghorn
antelope.
507
desertii), Huachuca agave (A. parryi var. huachucensis), and mescal (A.
palmed). The last two species grow beyond the desert in the Upper Sonoran life zone (Shreve and Wiggins, 1964, pp. 68-77; Benson and Darrow,
1944, pp. 78 and 94). Other important plants in central Pimeria Alta
include the juniper (Juniperus spp.), oak (Quercus spp.), Mexican pifion
(Pinus cembroides), Mexican tea (Ephedra trifurea), boundary ephedra
(E. nevadensis var. aspera), beargrass (Nolina microcarpa), and the
organ pipe cactus (Lemaireocereus thurberi) (see Fig. 1).
d. Water. The number of charcos and springs as sources of surface
water is much larger in central Pimeria Alta then it is in the west. Because
of greater rainfall, increased runoff, and cooler temperatures, moreover,
the charcos, the important water holes in the intermontane plains, are
likely to retain water for longer periods of time. Rock tanks, although they
occur here, are insignificant sources of water.
It can be stated, in general, that every major valley in this central region
has its charcos, and that all of them are capable of holding water for
periods of 1-3 months or more after the seasonal rains. Permanent springs,
on the other hand, are confined to the foothills and mountains, with the
flow in most of them increasing after rains. Not all these springs are plotted
on maps; it is likely that every mountain range in central Pimeria Alta
has one or more springs. Important and better-known springs are in the
Sand Tank Mountains at Mesquite Tank; at Sauceda; at Poso Verde in
the Poso Verde Mountains in Sonora; in the Coyote Mountains, with two
springs on the west slope and one on the east slope in Mendoza Canyon;
at the village of Sil Nakya at the northeast end of the North Comobabi
Mountains; in at least a dozen places on both slopes of the Baboquivari
Mountains; and in at least a dozen additional places beyond the desert
in the Tumacacori and adjacent mountains. Hackenberg (1964a, pp.
66-67) lists 44 "aboriginal" watering places for the Arizona portion of
central Pimeria Alta, and nearly all of these are springs or places dependent on spring water.
e. Animal Life. Except that western Pimeria Alta has varieties of certain species of fauna that are peculiar to it and that the central region
has no seacoast, the animal inventory for both areas is essentially the
same. The crucial difference between them lies in population sizes: central
Pimeria has more wildlife. Mule and white-tailed deer which are infrequent
in the western desert are found commonly scattered in the region to its
east. Desert bighorn sheep are today rare in the central area, presumably
having been decimated by firearms-using Homo sapiens, but there is no
reason to believe that they were formerly less abundant here than elsewhere. The same situation prevails with respect to the Sonoran pronghorn
antelope.