The Deep Pools of Kinero

It is easy to understand why the supposed author of this book says it is one he "never intended to write." He and a colleague, both dedicated theoretical physicists, go for a hike in the Santa Rita Mountains, take a wrong turn, and nearly perish of thirst before chancing on two deep pools of clear water; which happen to be located at the base of a "mini mountain" on a 40-acre parcel of Kinero Ranch, which also happens to be for sale. For some odd reason he feels compelled to buy it - and thus becomes an amateur anthropologist! Initially, he merely attempts to discover the origin of the Pima Indians living around the nearby Mission of Tumacacori by tracing the "threads" of their myths and legends. But these lead him to the Hopi mesas of northern Arizona, south along the Santa Cruz River and around Padre Kino's Missions, down to the ancient city and unknown people of Teotihuacan in central Mexico, then up again to his Kinero, with a wealth of undigested information and an inflamed imagination. This, operating on some curious artifacts recovered from the sandy bottom of one of the pools, generates not only a series of feverish fantasies about the past of the place, but also so many unscientific ideas that he is lead to become an equally amateur humanist, write a strange little novelette, and finally the rest of the book, to explain them to himself. The result, as his mentor Dr. Colbert remarks in the Foreword, is "not entirely without value," even for anthropologists, and should prove entertaining for a wide variety or readers.

Dr. Terry Triffet was a brilliant physicist and engineering scientist, known internationally for his work in mathematical modelling. He held five degrees from several universities, including a Ph.D. from Stanford, and claimed to be an honorary Australian, having spent several years there. Until his passing in 2003, Dr Triffet lived with his with his wife, Middy, in Tucson, Arizona with their three children and grandchildren "nestled nearby" in the West.