About two hours away from either Phoenix or Tucson, Ajo (pronounced "ah-ho") proudly calls itself "Arizona's Hometown." Surrounded by rugged mountains and the Sonoran Desert, Ajo provides a classic Arizona setting in the tradition of the Old Spanish West. Although "Ajo" means garlic in Spanish, most historians believe the town derived its name from a Tohono O'odham word meaning "place of colored clay." Today, the town is a popular tourist destination and jumping-off point for attractions in the vicinity.
The town is centered around a Spanish Colonial-style plaza, topped with a red-tiled roof, and garnished with palm trees and bench-lined walkways. Visitors will find a number of intriguing shops and restaurants under the plaza's covered arcade. Like other scenic parts of Arizona, Ajo attracted Hollywood's eye and won a starring role as a Mexican town in the 1972 film Pocket Money with Paul Newman and Lee Marvin. Nearby attractions include the New Cornelia Mine, historical museum, the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, a magnificent reserve of wild desert and home to the unique Organ Pipe Cacti. Book your trip now! >>
Click a link below to explore other Arizona cities and towns:
Phoenix metro area:
Apache Junction | Carefree | Cave Creek | Chandler | Fountain Hills | Gilbert | Glendale | Mesa | Peoria | Sun City | Sun City West | Tempe
Northern Arizona:
Chloride | Flagstaff | Holbrook | Kingman | Lake Havasu City | Page | Peach Springs | Sedona | Williams | Window Rock | Winslow
Central Arizona:
Camp Verde | Cottonwood | Jerome | Prescott | Wickenburg
Central/Eastern Mountains:
Alpine | Eagar | Greer | Payson | Pinetop-Lakeside | Show Low | Springerville | St. Johns
Western Arizona:
Parker | Quartzsite | Yuma
Southern Arizona:
Ajo | Benson | Bisbee | Casa Grande | Douglas | Florence | Green Valley | Nogales | Oro Valley | Patagonia-Sonoita-Elgin | Sierra Vista | Tombstone | Tubac | Tucson | Willcox
The town is centered around a Spanish Colonial-style plaza, topped with a red-tiled roof, and garnished with palm trees and bench-lined walkways. Visitors will find a number of intriguing shops and restaurants under the plaza's covered arcade. Like other scenic parts of Arizona, Ajo attracted Hollywood's eye and won a starring role as a Mexican town in the 1972 film Pocket Money with Paul Newman and Lee Marvin. Nearby attractions include the New Cornelia Mine, historical museum, the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, a magnificent reserve of wild desert and home to the unique Organ Pipe Cacti. Book your trip now! >>
Click a link below to explore other Arizona cities and towns:
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Phoenix metro area:
Apache Junction | Carefree | Cave Creek | Chandler | Fountain Hills | Gilbert | Glendale | Mesa | Peoria | Sun City | Sun City West | Tempe
Northern Arizona:
Chloride | Flagstaff | Holbrook | Kingman | Lake Havasu City | Page | Peach Springs | Sedona | Williams | Window Rock | Winslow
Central Arizona:
Camp Verde | Cottonwood | Jerome | Prescott | Wickenburg
Central/Eastern Mountains:
Alpine | Eagar | Greer | Payson | Pinetop-Lakeside | Show Low | Springerville | St. Johns
Western Arizona:
Parker | Quartzsite | Yuma
Southern Arizona:
Ajo | Benson | Bisbee | Casa Grande | Douglas | Florence | Green Valley | Nogales | Oro Valley | Patagonia-Sonoita-Elgin | Sierra Vista | Tombstone | Tubac | Tucson | Willcox
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