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Oases of the Baja California peninsula as sacred spaces of agrobiodiversity persistence

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Abstract

Oases have served as sacred landscapes and sources of ritual plants in arid regions of the Old and New Worlds. We evaluate the Jesuit mission oases of the Baja California peninsula (Mexico) for their role in agrobiodiversity persistence, and extend theories of sacred landscapes and biodiversity conservation to agricultural species and practices. Jesuit missionaries on the peninsula (1697–1768) introduced a suite of crops species and agricultural and water management systems that persist in the oases and have become an integral part of the cultural and religious identity of the peninsula. The sacred landscapes of the oases are defined by elements of the Jesuit mission systems, such as water capture systems and irrigation canals, stone field borders and terraces, field gardens or huertas, groves of olive trees and date palms, and multi-tiered agroecosystems. Sacred practices—including pilgrimages, religious rites, and Catholic-based community celebrations—depend on the integrated “landscapes” of the oases and on the ritual use of wild and cultivated oasis plant species. We propose that some, though not all, of the peninsula oases may be considered as sacred landscapes responsible for maintaining heritage crop species, biodiversity, and traditional farming and foodways practices.

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Acknowledgments

We offer thanks to Paul Robbins, Steve Yool, Stuart Marsh, Suzanne Fish, Robert Varady, and Christopher Scott at the University of Arizona; David Karp at the University of California, Riverside; Jesus Garcia of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; Dennis Johnson, date specialist; McKenzie Campbell of Living Roots/Raices Vivas; Dr. José Luis León de la Luz at Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste at La Paz; and Jaime Gil, agricultural engineer of the Canary Islands for logistical, technical, and collaborative support in this research. Science Foundation Arizona; Fulbright-COMEXUS; the Philanthropic Education Organization; the School of Geography and Development and Southwest Center at the University of Arizona; and Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur provided institutional support and funding. The authors gratefully acknowledge partial support from Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a charitable foundation helping to protect life and property by supporting engineering-related education, public engagement, and the application of research; and from the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation in Tucson, Arizona. The paper benefited greatly from expert editing provided by Robert Merideth of the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona. We extend our deepest gratitude to the families of the Baja California peninsula oases and ranches, and to Jaime de Grenade, Lauri Monti, and Don, Rebecca, Kanin, and Cody Routson.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, University of Arizona, 803 E. 2nd St., Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA

    Rafael de Grenade

  2. The Southwest Center, University of Arizona, 1401 E. 1st St., Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Gary Paul Nabhan

  3. Area de Conocimiento de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, Carretera al Sur Km 5.5, Col. El Mezquitito, CP 23080, La Paz, BCS, Mexico

    Micheline Cariño Olvera

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  1. Rafael de Grenade
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Correspondence to Rafael de Grenade.

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de Grenade, R., Nabhan, G.P. & Cariño Olvera, M. Oases of the Baja California peninsula as sacred spaces of agrobiodiversity persistence. Agric Hum Values 33, 455–474 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-015-9621-z

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