History Buffs Relish Tucson and So. Arizona's Rich Past
For more information please contact:
Kimberly Schmitz, Director of Communications & Public Relations
Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau
1-800-638-8350, ext.143 or 520-770-2143
HISTORY BUFFS RELISH TUCSON AND SOUTHERN ARIZONA'S RICH PAST
The great scripts of American western history were acted out boldly on the stage of Tucson and Southern Arizona. Visitors remain drawn to the area's Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and pioneer roots, which converged to create Tucson’s unique character.
The First Settlers
The Hohokam people farmed along the Santa Cruz River as early as the first century A.D; you can see some of the petroglyphs (rock drawings) they created at Signal Hill in Saguaro National Park West. When Europeans arrived in the area in the late 17th century, they found Pima Indians living at the foot of Sentinel Peak, now also known as "A" Mountain. Their village was called "Stjukshon" -- roughly, "spring at the foot of a black mountain" -- which, on Spanish tongues, eventually evolved into "Tucson."
Today the 4,400-square-mile Tohono O'Odham Indian Reservation -- only that of the Navajo Nation is larger -- abuts Tucson. Baboquivari Peak, just south of the Kitt Peak National Observatory, is the home of the Tohono O'Odham deity, I'itoi ("elder brother").
The Pasqua Yaquis maintain a small community in the center of Tucson, and their traditional Easter celebration attracts crowds of locals. Cultural festivals including The Waila Festival and Tucson Indian Days celebrate with live music, story tellers, dances, and crafts fairs. An extensive permanent exhibit at the Arizona State Museum explores past and present Native American cultures in Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. Located on the campus of the University of Arizona, it is the Southwest’s oldest and largest anthropology museum. Some 20,000 Southwest Indian whole-vessel ceramics combine to form the focus of ASM’s Pottery Project. This collection – the largest and most comprehensive of its kind – is one of the nation’s most significant cultural resources. It was recently designated an Official Project of the Save America’s Treasures program, a public private partnership between the White House Millennium Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to celebrate and preserve our nation’s cultural legacy.
The Arizona Historical Society Museum has permanent and special exhibits that recount Arizona's colorful cultural history from Spanish colonial times through territorial years. The museum has an extensive research library and photo archives.
Southeast of Tucson, in a beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival-style house, the Amerind Foundation displays the wide-ranging collection of a dedicated amateur archaeologist. Established in 1937, The Amerind is a non-profit research institution devoted to the study, preservation, and interpretation of prehistoric and historic Native American cultures. The Amerind contains one of the finest collections of Indian artifacts in the world. Among a fine array of Native American crafts and ceremonial items, the intricate beadwork alone makes worthwhile the one hour trip to this museum in Dragoon.
The Hispanic Heritage
In 1775, Spanish explorers established the presidio (fortress) of San Augustine del Tucson to keep the Apaches at bay. Nearby, their fellow countrymen were busy converting the generally more peaceful Pima Indians to Christianity at the Mission San Xavier del Bac, built at the end of the 18th century on a site founded by Franciscan missionary Father Eusebio Kino in 1692 -- and still going strong today. Though there's little left of the fortress, visitors to the Tucson Museum of Art's historic block can see some of the houses constructed inside, and a small portion of the presidio wall is showcased on the second floor of the Pima County Courthouse.
Tucson became part of Mexico when that country gained its independence from Spain in 1821, and stayed in Mexican hands until 1854, when it was sold as part of the Gadsden Purchase. The city's strong Hispanic heritage is not only reflected in its Spanish-style architecture -- red tile roofs and graceful mission curves abound here -- but may also be savored in one of over 150 wonderful Mexican restaurants.
Welcome Hollywood and the Wild West
The Wild West never died in Tucson; it just became a lot more fun. Hollywood allowed folks around the world to enjoy the action in towns like Tombstone without the danger of getting shot. Many big-time Westerns were filmed at Old Tucson Studios, which now doubles as a theme park.
Visitors can kick up their heels at country & western dance clubs (some of them give free two-stepping lessons); buy cowboy and cowgirl duds at western wear stores; and even get their ties snipped off at one of the town's more casual steakhouses.
Horseback riding is big here, too, but if you don't want to take to the saddle, you can always sit back and watch a rodeo. The biggest one in February is La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros, which has been going strong for more than 75 years, and lately there is more exciting wrangler action at the Desert Thunder Pro Rodeo.
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