Ajo, Census-designated place in Pima County, Arizona.
Ajo is a small town in the Sonora Desert in Pima County, Arizona, located roughly 70 kilometers south of Phoenix. The settlement sits at an elevation of about 530 meters and is surrounded by open desert landscape that stretches for many kilometers.
The Arizona Mining & Trading Company began copper extraction in the 1880s, turning the area into a mining hub. Ore was transported internationally to European smelting facilities, which shaped the local economy for decades.
The name comes from the Spanish word 'ajo' meaning garlic, reflecting the region's Spanish colonial heritage. The Tohono O'odham Nation maintains deep ties to this land and continues to shape daily life in this part of southern Arizona.
The area offers limited services, so visitors planning to stay should prepare accordingly. Travel to larger towns and attractions takes considerable time due to the remote desert location.
The town was once a thriving mining settlement with considerable prosperity, but later became a quiet desert community. Today you can still find old structures from the mining era that speak to this former period.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
