In the 19th century General Ignacio Pesqueira, from nearby Arizpe, retired to Cananea. He fought against the Apache who raided the area. One time, while following them into the mountains, he discovered the abandoned Spanish mines and by 1868 he had renewed the extraction of minerals in the Cananea mines. General Pesqueira's wife, Elena Pesqueira Pesqueira, "discovered" a nearby mountain range ("sierra") and the General named the highest peak "La Elenita" ("The Little Helen", 9,327 feet or 2,843 meters above sea level) in her honor. The other peak is named "La Mariquita" ("The Little Mary", 8,123 feet or 2,476 meters above sea level).