Ajo was established as a company town in 1914 shortly after John Greenway bought the copper mine and surrounding land. This was the height of the
City Beautiful Movement and the plan for Ajo, which incorporated Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, wide streets, and a large public plaza, made it a pleasing place to live. Stop at the visitor center in the restored railroad depot to pick up brochures and souvenirs.
After the mine closed in the 1980s artists began moving to Ajo and a few murals popped up on the sides of buildings. Then in 2015, the Ajo Street Art Project took over a narrow alleyway south of the plaza and created an explosion of color on the previously bland block and stucco walls. Subsequent projects covered the exterior of the 3 Nation’s Market, the wall of a building north of the plaza, and random expanses of walls around town. Print out a
walking tour guide to explore all of the art.
The sidewalks and curb cuts in the plaza area are in good condition. Most of the stores have accessible entrances. Missing curb cuts, lack of sidewalks, and other obstacles in the rest of the town may cause difficulties for visitors with mobility issues.
RVs can be parked on North Plaza Street, south of the plaza.
Ajo Art 32.37295, -112.86119
Ajo is a neat old town, esp with its murals. As a gateway to Organ Pipe Nat'l Monument, it's a great place to stop. We ate at a tiny restaurant there a couple of times that served THE best homemade Mexican dishes! Thanks for the heads-up about getting info from the VC at the railroad depot.
ReplyDeleteThis is our second visit. Our last was many years ago and we couldn't stay long. It's a cool place! We're really enjoying it.
Delete(actually we left the area yesterday but you know how blogging goes.)
Yup! :-)
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