2021 Map of Sierra Arida

About this map

The international border between the United States of America and Mexico cuts diagonally across this arid landscape in Yuma County, marking a stark political division through a continuous desert environment. The terrain is dominated by the Sierra Arida and the southern reaches of the Cabeza Prieta Mountains, where steep ridgelines overlook the expansive Tule Desert. Hydrological features are sparse and vital, including Tule Wash and the isolated Tuseral Tank located near the base of the Tule Mountains. This survey illustrates the extreme isolation of the borderlands, where natural topography like mountain passes and seasonal washes dictates movement across the desert floor. The map serves as a record of the remote southwestern frontier, defined more by its physical barriers and surveyed township lines like t14s r14w than by human settlement.