On Sunday Dorie and I took off to meet up with Bob Steichen in Tecate to explore some Indian caves around La Rumorosa, Baja, MX. One site El Vallecito is preserved as an archaeological site so it was easy to find and walk around. I had researched some archaeological documents and old maps, plotting out where I thought several other sites could be found, about 5-8 miles south of La Rumorosa, but they are much more remote. We would need an entire day to find/explore those.
It was very windy on the 30 minute drive out, but El Vallecito was pretty sheltered so it was not uncomfortable to walk around. The site is 10-15 acres with six caves to be viewed and they say, 30 more sites in the area. This part of the Sierra Juarez has been inhabited for thousands of years and these cave paintings were from the Yumans, predecessors of the Kumeyaay and are about 2,000 years old. One of the coolest is El Diablito, a little red devil figure whose eyes are supposed to light up during the winter solstice. It is a very interesting site. The painting style is the same as the other Indian cave paintings we’ve seen on Sombrero and Indian Hill in Anza Borrego. One interesting thing I noted was the lack of animals in the pictographs.
We had a nice lunch (3 large servings for a total of $12) and took off to find Old La Rumorosa, but with no luck. It was getting late and not wanting to drive in Mexico after dark, Dorie and I took off to get across the border. Just a 15 minute wait at Tecate. We’ll have to go back and explore the more remote places at a later time or go during the winter solstice to see the little devil light up. It’s an easy drive from Tecate. (Please click on any picture to enlarge to see slide show)
