Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology

The Cuyamaca Mountains of interior San Diego County are a remote region characterized by a vast diversity of natural and cultural resources. Located 60 km. east of San Diego, and within the ethnographic homeland of the Kumeyaay Indians, the Cuyamacas comprise a major portion of the Peninsular Range. The region is drained by the San Diego and Sweetwater rivers, and ranges in elevation from 1,000 to 2,000 m. above sea level. Local plant communities include well-developed chaparral, grassland meadow, and oak-pine woodland associations.