Yuha Well

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Juan Bautista de Anza’s father had a dream. According to Raul Grijalva chairman of House Natural states that, “When Juan Bautista’s father was a soldier for New Spain, he dreamed about finding an overland route to the coastal province of Alta, California. His dream was ruined when he was killed by the Indian tribe “Apache” in an ambush leaving his three year old son and wife by themselves.”(Grijalva, “The history behind the Great Journey”).Spain wanted to expand so they established military and religious establishments in Alta, California calling these new areas New Spain. This led many Spaniards to want to find a route to Alta, California because they had families over there. The Spaniards who were in Alta, California struggled in isolation, and many were dying trying to cross by sea routes.

Juan Bautista gathered his men and livestock to go on an expedition in search for an overland route no matter what obstacles came across them. An online article states that “On January 9, 1774, thirty-eight year old Juan Bautista, began his expedition from Sonora, Mexico to Alta, California. He headed approximately one hundred and twenty-five miles south down the Old Mission Trail to Caborca, Mexico. He hoped he could resupply livestock that the Apaches had taken the week before.”(“Blazed the Anza Trail”). After resupplying on stock they headed for the Colorado River. After weeks of traveling Juan Bautista finally arrived at Sonoita, Papago Indian country which is now known as the Mexicali and Calexico International Border. After crossing he was helped by Yuman Chief Palma and he went to the Yuha Well where he was aided by the Khamias Indians with water.

The Yuha Well is now used for exploring and too view the geoglyphs that the Indians drew on the ground. According to Phillip Coppens “In 1975 the Yuha Geoglyphs were destroyed by vandals with motorcycles. The Imperial Valley College-Barker Museum restored all the ground figures. They redrew all the geoglyphs using early aerial pictures.”(Coppens “America’s Nazca Lines”).The San Diego State University has also been trying to reconstruct the area for the past decade. The Yuha Well is now a limited use area; automotive vehicles may not enter the site. The site is not patrolled by any ranger or deputy there is only one sign with a button that states that if you are in danger to push the button and the border patrol will arrive in an hour. Many of the Yuha Well routes have been closed down to protect and preserve the sensitive wildlife species or archeological sites. It is also limited to prevent soil erosion and degradation of scenic quality. Many fossils and rocks embedded with shells from oysters can be found in the area. The geoglyphs that are in the area are strange and interesting causing people to find interest in the area for its historical era. These things found in the Yuha Well are reasons for why people come and visit the area. People of all backgrounds and interests can go and look at the many fossils, rocks, and geoglyphs in the area.

The Yuha Well represents the Imperial Valley because of its rich history on how the Yuha Well was first discovered and used. If Juan Bautista wouldn’t of have passed through the Yuha Wells maybe we wouldn’t have the Imperial Valley. That is why many building are named after him because of his discovery of an area in the Imperial Valley. The site also has many characteristics that define the Imperial Valley like terrain which consists of fine sand, cactuses, creosote bushes ocotillos and cryptantha plants. The desert scene that the Yuha Well has is a perfect example of the Imperial Valley.

The Imperial Valley’s most famous native plant is the Ocotillo and the Yuha Well is full of Ocotillo’s. There are also many animals like snakes, lizards, and bunnies. The Yuha Well has rich history in how are