Just wanted to show you the exquisite landscape we enjoyed while driving through the expansive Tohono O’odham reservation in southern Arizona. Unfortunately, we were unable to stop en route as this narrow road had a 65 mph speed limit with no shoulder on which to pull over! We were in awe of the blooms and variety of cactus!

With the Treaty of Mesilla in 1854, in which the US acquired lands that would become New Mexico and Arizona, the Tohono O’odham lands were split between the two countries. There are about 34,000 members of the Tohono O’odham with about 11,000 living on the US reservation land and 2,000 on the Mexican side. For decades, tribal members were able to cross the border freely to visit family, participate in tribal celebrations together on either the US or Mexican side. There is a border fence with a gate that is often manned by either Mexican or US Border Patrol forces, and the tribe has a good relationship with both and they cooperate in attempting to squash illegal border activities.