Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in San Diego County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Location, Location, Location
Kumeyaay Village Site
| | Mine Wash | |
Photographed by Craig Baker, March 12, 2026
1. Location, Location, Location Marker
Then, as now, location was everything when choosing a place to live.
Mine Wash had all the features needed for a Kumeyaay winter village site, offering just what their lifestyle required.
Mine Wash presented a good mix of plants useful as food and everyday implements. Here the Kumeyaay harvested cacti, chia, grasses, ocotillo, yucca, and the all-important agave. Boulders offered shelter and stone for morteros and metates used in food preparation. Water was nearby. Paths connected to major travel corridors, an important asset for seasonal migration between desert and mountains, and for contact with trading networks.
Kumeyaay villages and campsites are more than memories. Kumeyaay culture including foodways, art, and ways of using natural materials evolved from centuries spent in the desert homeland. It continues to enrich tribal life in the 21st century.
This canyon was part of a vast and varied homeland that helped define who the Kumeyaay were, and still are, as a people.
Erected by California State Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Indigenous Peoples and Communities.
Location. 33° 6.759′ N, 116° 20.707′
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Regionally, this marker is in California’s Peninsular Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Butterfield Overland Mail Route (approx. 6.3 miles away); Pictographs (approx. 6½ miles away); Morteros Memories (approx. 7.4 miles away); Vallecito-Butterfield Stage Station (approx. 7.6 miles away); San Felipe (approx. 8.1 miles away); San Gregorio (approx. 8.7 miles away); Box Canyon (approx. 8.8 miles away); Vallecito Stage Station (approx. 9½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
More about this marker. There are no pictographs here. The example shown on the interpretive sign is from a different location.
Regarding Location, Location, Location. Patches of darkened soil might indicate food processing sites.
Photographed by Craig Baker, March 12, 2026
2. Location, Location, Location Marker
The historic site is among the large boulders in the background.
Photographed by Craig Baker, March 12, 2026
3. Bedrock Mortars
Photographed by Craig Baker, March 12, 2026
4. Bedrock Mortars
Photographed by Craig Baker, March 12, 2026
5. Ocotillo
Photographed by Craig Baker, March 12, 2026
6. Yucca
Photographed by Craig Baker, March 12, 2026
7. Agave
Credits. This page was last revised on March 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 13, 2026, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 62 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 13, 2026, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on March 15, 2026, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.
