Disclaimer here..most of what you read here is taken directly from the Sonoran Desert Alliance top 10 list of Ajo highlights.
“Ajo, Arizona is a fascinating, off-the-beaten path place, where you might see a javelina walking down the street on your way to a gallery opening, watch a Harris’s hawk circle overhead during an outdoor yoga class, or get lost staring into an 1,100-foot-deep hole in the earth. It’s a town of hidden gems that rewards the curious traveler with new experiences, tastes, and adventures.”
In case you don’t know what a javelina is, it looks like a wild pig but if you want to be specific it is a peccary, scientific name: Tayassuidae. Adults range from 45-75 lbs and 3-3.5 feet long, yikes.
We don’t want to see one while out walking because they have been known to attack people and dogs. If we see one from the truck that would be cool.
“People call Ajo ‘A small town with a big back yard’, because 12 million acres of pristine desert surround our little hamlet.”
“Ajo is made up of a mix of three cultures: Mexican, Tonoho O’odham, and Anglo. Historically, these groups lived in separate neighborhoods and segregation persisted through much of the 20th century. While painful memories of this era remain today, rich traditions of each group are now celebrated across racial lines.”
Honoring each color are three statue groupings around town that are beautiful and really cool to see.
“Ajo is home to a growing population of artists and craftspeople. Murals line Art Alley, a project launched in 2015. Street artists came from across the region to contribute to this effort, many of their murals with a borderlands theme.”
“Ajo’s town center was designed in 1914 by a Minneapolis firm at the behest of New Cornelia Copper Mine owner and future AZ senator John Greenway. The town was designed to instill pride in the miners who would make Ajo their home. The entire downtown is listed on the National Historic Register.”
Bonnie & Bruceontheloose 