BOWL: STONE MORTAR, TONGVA/GABRIELENO, ARROYO SECO RIVER, PASADENA, CA. 19th C.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

BOWL: STONE MORTAR, TONGVA/GABRIELENO, ARROYO SECO RIVER, PASADENA, CA. 19th C.:
$179.00

BOWL: STONE MORTAR, SMALL; TONGVA/GABRIELENO, ARROYO SECO RIVER, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.19th Century Find

Height:4 1/2”

Diameter: 5 ½”

Bowl Depth: 2 1/4”

Weight:7 lbs .5 oz

A gorgeous stone bowl uncovered in thelate 19th century along the Arroyo Seco during a rabbit huntingtrip. The artifact along with many more, was recently acquired from descendantsof that time.

By the early 1900s Pasadena was the “go-to” destination forwealthy, health-conscious Easterners.Millionaires flocked to this pristine California city nestled at the base ofspectacular mountains to partake of the clean air.

Just west of the city, the dry streamknown as the Arroyo Seco seasonally flowed down from the mountains on a25-mile-long journey.

In the 1700s, long before white settlement,Spanish explorer, Gaspar de Portolà met the localinhabitants: the Tongva Indians—laterknown as the Gabrielenos.

The Tongva lived along the Arroyo Seco for thousands of years, trading withtheir Chumash neighbors.

This mortar was found along the original streambed to the west of originalsettlement of Pasadena. It was left in place near the stream thousands of years ago.

Abrasion scratches and shaping cuts are evident on the piece.

That said, the bowl interior is remarkably smooth and intact, revealing theexpert carving that went into this prehistoric design. The bottom has a shaped, rounded finish,though extraction grooves are there. Some ground soil pitting also evident onsides/upper rim.

Rarely does one have such an outstanding provenance/location of a foundmortar. Such is the case here with thisRARE artifact from Southern California.

Photo of modern concrete Arroyo Seco Riverbed shown. Reports indicate all of theartifacts were found near here well before the river was reengineered.