PUERTO DEL AZOTADO (LOS MORTEROS)

This location was called Puerto del Azotado by Anza’s Expedition when they camped here on October 27, 1775. Undoubtedly water was available, and the hills could have provided shelter from weather systems coming from the west. The pass depicted here is, we believe, the one mentioned by Padre Font: today this is the route of Silverbell Road.
Padre Font, in his diary for October 27, 1775, had the following to say:
" A little before six we halted at a plain in sight of a rugged and low sierra called by the Indians La Frente Negra, just before entering a pass, and which we threaded the next day."
This has always a favored place. Over 1,000 years ago it was the site of a thriving Hohokam Indian settlement. In the late 19th Century it was the location of a Butterfield Stage stop, and of the Ruelas and Maish historic homesteads. In the early 20th Century, nearby there was a small Yaqui Indian settlement. The Anza Expedition was one group among many to enjoy this hospitable locale.