Jarilla Mountains Turquoise: Field Guide to the Orogrande Mine and the Chaco Connection
Jarilla Mountains Turquoise: Field Guide to the Orogrande Mine and the Chaco Connection
The Jarilla Mountains of Otero County, New Mexico produced turquoise from at least the prehistoric era through the early twentieth century, and isotope analysis has since connected stones from this deposit to artifacts found hundreds of miles away at Chaco Canyon — one of the ancient Southwest's great ceremonial centers. Jarilla is less famous than Cerrillos, but the archaeological record ties the two New Mexico deposits together in the same prehistoric trade network.
Field Notes by Mateo James
The stone itself spans a broad range. Chambless, drawing on Douglas Sterrett's USGS reporting, describes it this way (Sterrett, cited in Chambless ~line 6100): "Turquoise of various grades was found ranging from pale blue to dark blue, blue-greenish green, and green. Very pretty matrix was observed, in which the turquoise was mottled with irregular patches of limonite and limonite-stained quartz in the veinlets." That matrix character — iron-stained, mottled — is useful for field identification.
The claims at Orogrande included the Shoo-ar-me claim, the DeMeules mine, and claims associated with Tiffany and Alabama designations. Chambless records a stone from the Jarilla district "reported to be the largest ever cut in the United States" that was shipped to Tiffany (~line 5580) — though, as documented in the Royal Blue entry, Tiffany provenance claims from this era require careful scrutiny.
The Chaco link rests on solid scientific footing. Chambless (~line 10681) cites isotope analysis that linked 13 of 29 Pueblo Bonito artifacts to Cerrillos and Jarilla deposits combined. This positions Jarilla as part of a prehistoric turquoise supply chain that fed one of the most significant architectural and ceremonial complexes in North American prehistory. Chambless also records the regional tradition that "the Mexicans believe that both the Pueblos and ancient Aztecs worked these mines" (~line 5540).
Collector's Handbook
What to look for: Pale blue to dark blue, blue-green, and green stone; mottled matrix with limonite and iron-stained quartz in the veinlets. Variable quality was documented even by early USGS assessors.
Recognition tells: Jarilla stone spans a wide quality range. High-end matrix pieces with the distinctive mottled iron character are the most identifiable; undifferentiated pale blue material is harder to attribute confidently.
Honest mine-status hedge: Jarilla was primarily an early-twentieth-century commercial operation. Active mining status in the contemporary period is not confirmed in available primary sources.
Related mine guides: Pages for Bisbee, Sleeping Beauty, Number Eight, Cerrillos, Royston, Kingman, Lander Blue, and Morenci mines are coming soon to this field guide.
References
- Chambless, Philip. The History of the American Turquoise Industry, Ch. 4 (~lines 5540, 5560, 5580, 6100, 10681). [Primary source — substantial entry including Sterrett USGS data and Chaco isotope link.]