1941 Map of Vamori

About this map

Papago Indian Reservation lands dominate this 1940s survey of the Sonoran desert landscape, where water security dictates the pattern of human settlement. Small communities and clusters of structures are scattered across the Vamori Valley and the eastern edge of the Alvarez Mountains, including Vamori, Komelik, and Choulic. The reliance on local water sources is evident through the numerous Tanks and wells that support these desert outposts. To the south, the terrain rises toward Haivan Vaya near the international border, where the United States Mexico boundary line cuts across the desert floor. The map records several cemeteries and individual dwellings that reflect the localized Tohono O'odham history of the region before mid-century modernization. This desert environment is further defined by the broad drainage of Vamori Wash and the wide Baboquivari Valley to the east.