Rock Art and Archaeology of Ventana Cave

Archaeological excavations by the University of Arizona recovered thousands of ancient Native American artifacts and documented human-made features up to 10,000 years old at Ventana Cave, a huge rockshelter on the Tohono O’odham Nation in Arizona. Among the most striking and visually compelling aspects of this National Historic Landmark site are its many pictographs dating to the Archaic, Hohokam, and historic Tohono O’odham periods. There are also petroglyphs outside the cave. Shortly after sunrise, the colors of the cave’s rock paintings start to fade, and many of them become almost invisible. Therefore, the tour will depart from Tucson at 6:30 am in an attempt to arrive at the cave early enough to experience the pictographs’ fullest colors in the early morning light. On the way back to Tucson, we will stop to view a petroglyph site from the highway, but we can’t get up close to them, so binoculars or a zoom lens will be helpful to see some of the petroglyph details. 

The tour will be led by Registered Professional Archaeologist Allen Dart, Executive Director of Tucson’s Old Pueblo Archaeology Center; and facilitated by R.E. Burrillo, the current AAHS Field Trip Coordinator. 

Participants coming from the Tucson vicinity are to meet for the tour at 6:30 am in the east parking lot of the Pima County Mission Branch Library, 3770 S. Mission Road, Tucson. Tohono O’odham Nation associates planning to attend the tour need to be at the Marathon (formerly Shell) gas station in Sells, AZ no later than 7:30 am to join the Tucson group. The return time to Tucson is estimated to be around 3 to 4 pm but may be later, considering how fast we can walk and regroup at the various stops and the possibility that vehicle problems or injuries might occur.

We will travel on paved highways most of the way, but high-clearance vehicles are required on the last dirt road segment to Ventana Cave. Participants with low-clearance cars can either park them at the highway turnoff to the cave at drivers’ own risk or carpool and share fuel costs with participants driving high-clearance passenger vehicles. No lodging or meals are included. Participants need to bring a lunch and at least 1 liter of water for the hike to the cave. No alcoholic beverages are allowed on the Tohono O’odham Nation reservation.

The approximatly half-mile round-trip hike from the Ventana Cave parking area to the cave is accessible only by a fairly steep trail up a moderately steep hillside that rises about 200 feet in elevation above the parking area. The tour leader will allow plenty of time for those who can make the trail hike but cannot walk quickly. Participants who cannot hike up the trail to the cave will only be able to view it from the parking area. Participants can walk/hike as much or as little as they wish.

Field trips are a benefit of AAHS membership. This will be a full-day trip. Field trips are limited to 20 members.

To register, email Ralph.Burrillo@aahs1916.org