"Home of I'itoi, the creator god, and navel of the world in Tohono O'odham cosmology"
Mt. Baboquivari
Tucson, Arizona, United States
Baboquivari Peak rises from the Sonoran Desert as the most sacred place of the Tohono O'odham people. In their cosmology, this granite monolith is the navel of the world, where their creator I'itoi dwells in a cave below the summit. Pilgrims still climb to leave offerings at the cave entrance, continuing a relationship with this mountain that reaches back to the people's emergence from the underworld.
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Quick Facts
Location
Tucson, Arizona, United States
Coordinates
31.7958, -111.6003
Last Updated
Jan 14, 2026
Learn More
Baboquivari stands at the center of Tohono O'odham cosmology as the home of I'itoi, the creator who brought the people from the underworld. The mountain has been sacred since time immemorial and remains so today.
Origin Story
According to O'odham oral history, I'itoi brought the Hohokam people to this world from the underworld through Baboquivari. One account describes how he entered Earth from a world on the other side, leading his people through an ant hole after transforming them into ants. He then changed them back into the Tohono O'odham people. The mountain marks the place where the earth opened after the great flood, making it the navel of the world.
I'itoi did not simply create and depart. He dwells still within the mountain, accessible through a labyrinth of passages. His spirit continues to call to the O'odham people, and he gave them the Himdag, a series of commandments guiding people to remain in balance with the world. The Man in the Maze symbol appearing throughout O'odham basketry and petroglyphs depicts I'itoi at the entrance to a labyrinth, the maze of life where a person travels and encounters the different moments that impact them.
The Pima, closely related to the Tohono O'odham, also call I'itoi 'Se:he' or 'Elder Brother,' recognizing his role in bringing their ancestors, the Hohokam, to this world. Both the Desert People (Tohono O'odham) and the River People (Akimel O'odham) trace their origins to his actions at this mountain.
Key Figures
I'itoi
Creator god who resides in the cave below Baboquivari Peak. He brought the people to this world from the underworld and gave them the Himdag, the way of life. The mountain may bear his name, or his name may derive from the mountain, so intertwined are they. His spirit remains within the mountain, calling to those with gifts to bring.
Spiritual Lineage
Baboquivari's sacred status predates any recorded history, reaching back to the time when the world itself was young. The Hohokam people, ancestors of both the Tohono O'odham and the Akimel O'odham (Pima), emerged through this mountain. When the Hohokam culture dispersed around CE 1450, the sacred relationship with Baboquivari continued unbroken through their descendants. The Tohono O'odham have never ceased their pilgrimages to I'itoi's dwelling place.
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