Nature’s Best. Humanity’s worst. On the bottom hillside of Estralla’s most southern point lay a scene that is absolutely magnificent. The area is covered in Saguaro, Barrel, and Cholla cacti. At the base of the hill lay markings dating back as far as the 1400s, originally inscribed by the Hopi tribe. http://bit.ly/Qj0aly Incredible history, even recognized at one point by the government; so much that they put a little metal plaque dated 1948 to recognize it. When I came across it, it was covered in dust and dead grasses; indicative of how quickly this place was forgotten. http://bit.ly/1i0L8GJ You may be wondering how you can get here to see this fascinating bit of history yourself, but rest assured that you practically can’t, but definitely shouldn’t. Off of Highway 238, one could get on Santa Cruz Road due north until you hit the base of the mountain. If you manage to make it along the semi-treacherous road to the mountain, you will certainly pass a few sticks coming up from the ground with graffiti on them. Photographing them is heavily inadvisable. Those sticks are used as posts for where to drop drugs. Estralla mountain lies right in the path up from Mexico where cartels transfer drugs. Some members live out in the area and keep surveillance on the local area to ensure that the right people pick up the drugs and that the wrong people don’t do anything they don’t want, like taking photographs, bringing police, or stealing their drugs. I have just recently realized through tales of local police and residents that the rumors of deaths, drug smuggling, and other crimes on both native land and the trail north are completely true. This marks my last trip out to any patch of desert that is not a state park or other federally managed land. It not only is surprising that a town of 50,000; primarily families with an average income of over $60,000/year is surrounded by one of the most dangerous desert areas for drug-smuggling. It perhaps is more surprising that America, which prides itself on safety and security can have an area that is less than 10 miles from my house be such a threat to your own life. It is disappointing that nobody seems to care. In the next few weeks I will be showing the city photographs of the trash that lay all over the desert floor; laying in a place that again, I won’t be revisiting because I can’t actually be safe in my own country. Thanks for looking and reading.
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Sudip Das's Blog 