Ajo, Arizona
There was no better place that could rekindle this project.
The first copper mine in Arizona, you know what happens next.
Just south of this mining town, are remnants of Chico Suni: the last Hia C-ed O’odham village and temporal in the US. The Hia C-ed O’odham (meaning Sand People), along with the Tohono O’odham (Desert People), are the indigenous inhabitants of these lands. The last inhabitant of Chico Suni died in 1999. However, there are still Hia C-ed O’odham who reside in Ajo and the neighboring Tohono O’odham Nation.
Disturbing but Fascinating
The mine is inactive. It’s been a scar of extraction since 1983.
Just over 3000 residents as of 2020.
Roaming Empire is an ongoing photography study of the built environment and its people within the United States. Each post documents a session of wandering somewhere, but nowhere in particular.