Huerfano Butte (''English:'' "Orphan Butte") is a small rocky

butte __NOTOC__ In geomorphology, a butte () is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from a French word me ...

located on the western flank of the

Santa Rita Mountains The Santa Rita Mountains ( O'odham: To:wa Kuswo Doʼag), located about 65 km (40 mi) southeast of Tucson, Arizona, extend 42 km (26 mi) from north to south, then trending southeast. They merge again southeastwards into the Pat ...

in southeastern

Pima County Pima County ( ) is a county in the south central region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,043,433, making it Arizona's second-most populous county. The county seat is Tucson, where most of the populati ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. With an elevation of , Huerfano Butte is one of the dominant landmarks in the

Santa Rita Experimental Range The Santa Rita Experimental Range and Wildlife Area is the longest continuously active rangeland research facility and among the five oldest biological field stations in the United States. Located south of Tucson in Pima County, Arizona, the 52, ...

, as well as an important prehistoric

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...

Archaeology

Huerfano Butte and the surrounding area were utilized by the Hohokam as early as circa 1100 CE. Shallow bedrock forces ground water to surface in a small pool located in a wash on the south side of the butte. Exposed outcrops of

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

on either side of the wash have about fifty

bedrock mortar A bedrock mortar (BRM) is an anthropogenic circular depression in a rock outcrop or naturally occurring slab, used by people in the past for grinding of grain, acorns or other food products. There are often a cluster of a considerable number of ...

s, at least two small bedrock metates, and numerous smaller cupules. Along the same wash is a vertical stone surface with approximately two dozen weathered

pictograph A pictogram, also called a pictogramme, pictograph, or simply picto, and in computer usage an icon, is a graphic symbol that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Pictographs are often used in writing and g ...

s painted in red hematite. The pictographs include human and animal life forms, as well as concentric circles, all of which are coated in "desert varnish." In 1965, Huerfano Butte gained public notoriety when a young girl discovered an extensive prehistoric jewelry cache while on a picnic with her family. While exploring cracks and crevices on the butte, the young girl discovered a small pottery jar filled with about 1,500

turquoise Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula . It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone and ornamental stone for thousands of year ...

and glycimeris

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

beads and pendants. The pottery jar and lid containing the jewelry were turned over to the

Arizona State Museum The Arizona State Museum (ASM), founded in 1893, was originally a repository for the collection and protection of archaeological resources. Today, however, ASM stores artifacts, exhibits them and provides education and research opportunities. It ...

upon discovery, and were dated to approximately 1100 CE. The pottery was identified as Gila plainware from the Rincon phase. Today, Huerfano Butte is only open to those with permission, in order to help protect the site's cultural resources.

Gallery

File:Huerfano_Butte_Pima_County_Arizona_1902.gif, Huerfano Butte from the east in 1902. Notice the grassland, which has since turned into a desert of

mesquite Mesquite is a common name for several plants in the genus '' Prosopis'', which contains over 40 species of small leguminous trees. They are native to dry areas in the Americas. They have extremely long roots to seek water from very far under gr ...

, prickly pear and cholla. File:Sonoran Desert Santa Rita Experimental Range 2013.jpg, View of the

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Ariz ...

from Huerfano Butte. The southern end of the Santa Rita Mountains can be seen in the background. File:Huerfano_Butte_Arizona_Pictographs_Number_1.jpg, Pictographs File:Huerfano_Butte_Arizona_Pictographs_Number_2.jpg, Close up view of pictographs File:Huerfano_Butte_Arizona_Bedrock_Mortars_Number_1.jpg, Bedrock mortars File:Huerfano_Butte_Arizona_Bedrock_Mortars_Number_2.jpg, Close up view of bedrock mortars File:Huerfano_Butte_Arizona_Bedrock_Metate.jpg, Bedrock metate File:Huerfano_Butte_Arizona_Cupule_Slab_2013.jpg, Cupule slab

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huerfano Butte Archaeological sites in Arizona Landforms of Pima County, Arizona Hohokam rock art sites Petroglyphs in Arizona Buttes of Arizona

Archaeology

Gallery

See also

References