The Esperanza Stone was a large (8-feet long) inscribed stone found in the valley of the

Yaqui The Yaqui, Hiaki, or Yoeme, are a Native American people of the southwest, who speak a Uto-Aztecan language. Their homelands include the Río Yaqui valley in Sonora, Mexico, and the area below the Gila River in Arizona, Southwestern United Sta ...

, Mexico. It was discovered and excavated in 1909 by Major F. R. Burnham and

Charles Frederick Holder Charles Frederick Holder (1851–1915) was an American naturalist, conservationist, and writer who produced over 40 books and thousands of articles. Known as a pioneer of big-game fishing, he founded and led the Tuna Club of Avalon, credited ...

Discovery

The stone was discovered during an expedition in the Yaqui valley.

Description

The stone was "a brown, igneous rock, its longest axis about eight feet, and on the eastern face, which had an angle of about forty-five degrees, was the deep-cut inscription." Symbols on the stone include a

volute A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite column capitals. Four are normally to be found on an Ion ...

and a swastika, also found on other stones in Mexico.

Legend

There was a legend that the stone had fallen down out of heaven in times past, and that the carving was by human hands.

Meaning of the symbols

Burnham believed that the symbols were Mayan. Others class them as Petroglyphs.

References

{{Reflist Archaeological sites in Sonora Rock art in North America Mesoamerican stelae Out-of-place artifacts Prehistoric inscriptions Petroglyphs in Mexico 1909 archaeological discoveries