Cuyamaca, California

Cuyamaca Mountains "behind the clouds" and Stonewall Peak, seen from the Lagunas
Lake Cuyamaca seen from Stonewall Peak
CA 79 looking north with Lake Cuyamaca on the right

Cuyamaca (Kumeyaay: ‘Ekwiiyemak)[1] is a region of eastern San Diego County. It lies east of the Capitan Grande Indian Reservation in the western Laguna Mountains, north of Descanso and south of Julian. Named for the 1845 Rancho Cuyamaca Mexican land grant, the region is now dominated by the 26,000-acre (110 km2) Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. Within the park is the prominent Cuyamaca Peak, the second-highest mountain in San Diego County at 6,512 feet (1,984.9 m).

The name is a Spanish corruption of the Kumeyaay phrase "'Ekwiiyemak", which means, according to Margaret Langdon's translation, "Behind the clouds".[2] It has also been translated as "the place where it rains", a reference to the region's higher average precipitation than San Diego County's low coastal areas. Cuyamaca is a popular toponym lending its name to streets, businesses and a community college in the San Diego area.

  1. ^ Ted Couro and Christina Hutcheson (1973), Dictionary of Mesa Grande Diegueño, Malki Museum Press, Morongo Indian Reservation, Banning, California
  2. ^ Erwin G. Gudde (1998) [1949], California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names, Revised by William Bright (4th ed.), University of California Press.