The Desert Speaks

Located just below the elbow of Baja California, San Ignacio lagoon is the temporary home to some of the peninsula’s most famous visitors—the Gray Whales. Each winter, pregnant females, and lustful males swim five thousand miles from the Arctic to visit this lagoon. Here, within a few hundred square miles, eighty percent of the majestic whales’ life cycle transpires. Observe feeding, nursing, teaching, cuddling, and courtship from a tiny fishing boat just a few feet away.

Our journey to the highest desert in the world begins in Potosí, in southwestern Bolivia. At 12,000 feet above sea level, it is the highest city in the world. The indigenous people of this high cold desert have used llama trains for thousands of years to transport the salt harvested in the area’s dry lakebeds. Our explorers also visit the Salar de Uyuni; at over 4,000 square miles it is the largest salt lake in the world. Here, traditional methods of salt cutting continue the same way as they have for centuries. Cutters build tiny igloo-like huts out of salt blocks and remain at the site for 5 days. Along the shores of the Salar, the desert is profoundly evident as the majestic groves of thick tall pasacana (similar in stature to the Saguaro cactus) grow on the surrounding frozen hillsides.

High in the foothills of the Bolivian Andes in the historic village of Santiago de K, life continues nearly the same as it has for centuries. An archeological site nearby reveals, through ancient ruins, just how little life has changed over the centuries. Here at over 12,600 feet above sea level, in the highest desert in the world, residents harvest the endemic potatoes and quinoa to use to barter for outside goods. Much of the native Quechua customs, music, and lifestyle have their roots in age-old traditions. There are some interesting, relatively modern influences such as the Carnaval celebration of the first potato crop of the season.

Ranging in altitude up to 16,500 feet above sea level, the wild, frigid desert of southwestern Bolivia is full of natural treasures. The harsh landscape is dominated by the towering Andean volcanoes and lakes or lagoons, which are actually basins, into which the meager snowmelt drains and cannot escape. These intensely colored, brackish lakes are home to some of the world’s hardiest animals, namely three different species of flamingo. In cliffs near the lakes, bizcachas (a rabbit-sized rodent) are one of the few mammals in the region. The bizarre looking yareta also grows along the rugged rock faces . Resembling massive patches of moss, these huge, thick plants are thousands of years old. These are just some of the many wonders found in the highest desert in the world.

The Gila River, after beginning its journey high in the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico, historically flowed entirely across the state of Arizona. But, like ninety percent of the Southwest United States’ remaining riparian areas, it is now used up and dries out merely halfway to its former confluence with the Colorado River. Revered as sacred by ancient peoples and modern-day indigenous people alike, the history of the Gila River is the story of nearly all, modern desert rivers.

Villages in the Valle de Tehuacán and nearby Oaxaca have endured for centuries in a desert environment. One of the staples of this environment was and still is the cactus, which formed the basis for their material culture. Today eighteen species of columnar cacti grow in the valley (as opposed to three in Arizona, eight in Sonora), all of them used one way or another by native peoples. Each June, deep in the Valley of Tehuacán residents harvest the luscious fruit of the giant cacti as they have for generations.

A trip through valley of Tehuacán to the ancient city of Oaxaca in southern Mexico is an exploration of influence. Spanish Influence. The route through some of the richest desert landscapes in the world is ripe with examples of the domination of Spanish culture on the native way of life. From the construction of immense missions to the introduction of the plants (like the mango), and even the distillation process, the Spanish impact on native culture in undeniable. However, there were things the Spaniards knew not to change. Even today, salt mining occurs in the same places and in the same way as it has for centuries before the Spaniards arrived.

The Valle de Tehuacán, in the Mexican state of Puebla, is not only home to the world’s greatest variety of cacti; it is also probably the birthplace of domestic corn. That corn became a staple for people throughout North America, including the civilizations that inhabited nearby Monte Albán. Those civilizations sowed the creative seeds for the Zapotecan culture that still thrives today. The region is famous for the indigenous artisans who use native plants to continue the artistic traditions of their ancestors.

Observational astronomy has deep roots in the Puebloan world of the Desert Southwest. Archaeological evidence suggests that the ancestral Pueblo Indians (Anasazi) marked astronomical events, perhaps as guides or records of their agricultural and ceremonial calendar. Rock art and architecture throughout the Four Corners area were carefully placed so that beams of sunlight would interact with rock images on important seasonal days such as equinoxes and solstices, marking the days with remarkably high precision.

Reaching up to Mexico's northwest corner, Pacific dry deciduous forest extends south all the way to Costa Rica, providing a pathway into Sonora for many widespread tropical plants and birds. This is especially evident in the southern tip of the Sonoran Desert on Mexico’s mainland, near Alamos, Sonora. Travel with a group of bird watchers from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum as they journey through coastal and forest habitats in search of some of the rarest birds in the region. Along the way, catch a rare glimpse into the life, culture, and traditions of the native Mayo Indians. Included is one of the area’s biggest cultural events—the annual pilgrimage to an ancient church to celebrate what is probably the most revered plant in all of Mexico—a cactus growing out of the side of church.

The journey through Baja California begins on the twice-weekly ferry from the Mexican mainland port of Guaymas. After disembarking from the ferry, the exploration begins around the coastal town of Santa Rosalia. This area provides some of the best cultural, historical and natural history treasure found on the Gulf side of Baja California. Additionally, The Desert Speaks investigates some of the region’s recent lava flows and examines some of the resident rodent population.

Adorning the walls in a dry cave are the musing and memories of the ancient people who eked out a living in this inhospitable land. These pictographs are world famous for their depiction of the lives and legends of the ancient, vanished Cochimi Indians. Halfway across the peninsula, our group visits the top of the Sierra del San Francisco Mountains. Along the way they come across elephant trees, huge gypsum crystals, and even relatives of the pineapple growing in the cactus. Nearing the Pacific side of the peninsula, the ocean begins to dominate the landscape, the plants, and the lives of people that live near it.

Turning inland, the intrepid travelers begin a thorough investigation into the weird, wild plants of Baja California. They quickly encounter the mystical, mythical Boojum tree. One of the oddest plants imaginable, the Boojum tree is leafless for most of the year and looks like a bit like an upturned turnip. Along the continuing journey to the pacific side, the wonders of Baja unfold for the trained eye. For example, the minute, bonsai-like coastal Alkali Heath shrub that takes its character, and form, from the forceful pacific winds.