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BY JACK PEPPER
publisher, desert magazine
A WE FLEW over the Colorado
Delta headed for Mulege, Erie Stanley
Gardner reviewed his expeditions
and discoveries made in Baja California
during the past years. Since all
of us had been on at least one of the
previous trips, the briefing was principally
for Dr. Carlos Margain, chief
anthropologist and archeologist from
the Mexican Institute of Archeology.
Dr. Margain's presence was the direct
result of a request by Gardner to
the Mexican government for a trained
scientist to visit the Mulege area to
evaluate material we all felt might
prove Baja was once inhabited by
the earliest man on the American
continent. This was the first officially
conducted survey of Baja's
caves by a Mexican scientist.
Although best known as the creator
of Perry Mason, mystery-writer Gardner,
or "Uncle Erie" as he is called
by his friends, has written five books
on Baja resulting from numerous trips
into the fascinating country.
Within hours after Gardner received
word Dr. Margain could accompany
an expedition, he had chartered
a plane and rounded up his
"Baja crew." Because Choral and I
had been on previous trips and written
a series of articles (see DESERT,
May through September, 1964) on
Baja, we were also invited. As on
all Gardner's Baja trips by air, the
chartered plane was piloted by veteran
aviator and owner of the Baja
Air Service, Francisco Munoz. Others
in the group included Sam Hicks,
Gardner's "right hand" and ranch
manager; J. W. Black, manufacturer
of the Pakjak and Burrito, two-wheel
vehicles that traverse the roughest of
country; Ricardo Castillo, Tijuana
businessman and amateur archeolo-
24 / Desert Magazine / January, 1965
gist who spends his spare time exploring
Baja, and Joseph Gutierrez, Mexicali
businessman and sportsman.
With Dr. Margain's portfolio filled
with petroglyph and pictograph information
from Gardner's files and
from DESERT'S, we turned to the
immediate object of this trip. On a
previous expedition, we explored the
caves of Coyote and Conception bays
and the larger peninsula which forms
Dr. Margain examines ancient
glyphs on fallen rock.
Conception Bay where we found exceptionally
old skeletons and artifacts.
It was these discoveries that
resulted in the present trip.
Our briefing was interrupted when
we landed at Bahia de Los Angeles,
a popular fishing resort, to feast on
lobster and frijoles prepared by
Senora Antero Diaz. An hour later
we arived at Mulege and the modern
and comfortable Club Aero de
Mulege.
That evening business was ignored
while we became acquainted with
Dr. Margain. He has spent 26 years
in the archeological field, speaks five
languages, and is a recognized authority
on the cultures of Meso America,
having participated in the excavations
of such sites as Bonampak, Monte Alban
and Teotihuacan. But he is also
an archeologist with a terrific sense
of humor and from the start was sympatico
with the others of our group.
As he described both humorous and
tragic events which had happened to
him during his many years of exploration,
I could see Dr. Margain was
more than a trained scientist. Using
his academic knowledge and welldisciplined
mind, he seeks empathy
with the people of pre-historic civilizations
in order to obtain a greater
understanding of their culture.
At midnight we retired, but at
dawn we were bouncing south by
car toward Coyote Bay. Although it
is only a distance of 20 miles, it takes
two hours to drive the serpentine
route through spectacular desert