Overview

Jose Anca of Process in Place presents a site-specific dance at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona, performed on the ancestral land of Quitobaquito Spring. The work approaches movement as witness, remembrance, and a call to protect a fragile desert oasis.

The Site and Water Issues

Quitobaquito Spring is a rare oasis in the Sonoran Desert and a sacred site for the Hia-Ced O’odham, integral to long-standing Salt Trails. The spring supports endemic and endangered life, including the tiny Quitobaquito Snail, found only in the spring’s pond and channels. The pond has been rapidly losing water and faces heightened risk from the planned border wall less than two hundred feet away; its loss would imperil local flora, fauna, and indigenous lifeways.

Artistic Purpose

This dance gathers to celebrate the resilience of a small but vital ecosystem, to grieve losses already endured, and to build hope that catalyzes a movement to protect Quitobaquito Spring for future generations.

Collaborators

Delia Ibanez and Jose Anca partner through Process in Place, inviting collaboration from the International Sonoran Desert Alliance, Bonzai Studio, CEDO, and the Sunrise Movement.

Connect

Follow and learn more via social media:

• @processnplace