Hornitos was a Mexican mining camp during the gold rush years and took its name from the shape of the above ground burial tombs which resembled little Mexican ovens. Several of the gold rush era buildings and ruins remain but unprotected from scavengers and the ravages of time. Coulterville, at the junction of SH 49/132, became a major gold mining and supply center in 1849. During its peak era the population was about 4,000, 1,000 of which were Chinese.