Arivaca Gold Placers
Located in the Las Guijas and San Luis Mountains, the Arivaca placers can be accessed via Arivaca Junction on U.S. Highway 89. From there, it is about 23 miles west to Arivaca where you will find roads leading into the placers. See the Arivaca 15-minute quadrangle map for details.
Placer gold deposits can be found nearly all around the flanks of the Las Guijas range, however most of the commercial production occured on the northeast flank, south of Las Guijas creek. Durzano, Pesqueria, Yaqui and Sangose gulches are all noted for placer gold. Other gullies and washes contain placer and rough gold can be found on the mesas between the gulches. Placers can also be found on the southern slope of the mountains north east of Arivaca Wash and further south in the vicinity of San Luis Canyon.
Most of the documented placer in the Arivaca area came prior to 1900. Worked since the 1850's and possibly before, the total documented production is around 10,000 ounces with about 7,500 of those ounces having been recovered prior to 1900. Early placer work in the area actually funded a small revolution in Mexico which resulted in Ignacio Pesqueria becoming governor of Sonora. Pesqueria and a group of followers came to the Las Guijas area after an earlier, unsuccessful attempt but were able to succeed with the funds generated from their placering in the Arivaca district.
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