The Kumeyaay, Cahuilla, Cupeño, and Payómkawichum/Luiseño are the Original peoples of the Anza-Borrego Desert, Palomar Mountain, and Cuyamaca Rancho State Parks. These traditional homelands in the Colorado Desert District are rich with their heritage and cultural tradition. The Colorado Desert Archaeological Society acknowledges these places as the Peoples’ homelands and offers gratitude for their stewardship of these lands from time immemorial through the present and into the future.
Cultural history is what we know about past ways of life by studying archaeological sites, features and artifacts, ethnography, oral histories and archival research.
Archaeology is the study of human activity, both prehistoric (before written records) and historic, based on materials and landscape impressions left behind.
Take your time to enjoy the beauty of your surroundings. Imagine how people lived and used the landscape. Leave nothing behind except your footsteps and only take photos!
The mission of the all-volunteer CDAS is to assist Park staff with the documentation, preservations and protection of the district’s prehistoric and historic cultural resources.
