Tucson, AZ -- Native Nations Day will include vendors, demonstrations and performances. The event celebrates the history and culture of the indigenous people of southern Arizona. Demonstrations of basket-making, jewelry-making, beadwork, pottery, flintknapping, and wood carving will be held throughout the event. Many of the craftspeople will sell their pieces as well. New to the event this year are performances by the Wa:k Tab Basket Dancers, a Tohono O’odham Basket Dancing Group from the San Xavier District, who will perform at 10:30 am, and the Cha’Bẽ’Tų Sweethearts, representing the White Mountain Apache Tribe and McNary, Ariz., who will perform at 1 pm. Fry bread with sweet and savory toppings will also be for sale throughout the event, which will be held on March 29, from 10 am to 2 pm, and is included in Presidio Museum admission.
The Salon & Saloon Lecture this month is The Importance of the Apache in Tucson’s History. The Apache (N’de) people influenced many aspects of Tucson residents lives for well over two centuries. Despite this, in the popular narrative of Tucson’s history, the Apache are frequently given little attention. Tucson Presidio Trust board member and historian Mauro Trejo will discuss the significance of the Apache in our history. He will discuss the ways in which the Apache are frequently omitted and their importance to the narrative for a more accurate and better understanding of our past. The lecture will be held on Mar. 15, beginning at 2 pm, in the Monsoon Room at JoJo’s Restaurant, 201 N. Court Ave. It is $5/person to attend the lecture. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early to purchase drinks and snacks from JoJo’s Cantina as there will be no bar service inside the Monsoon Room during the lecture. Fees can be paid at the door, or pre-registration is available at www.TucsonPresidio.com/calendars.
The museum’s workshops begin in March with Presidio Painting – A Workshop, held on Tuesday, Mar. 18, from 1-3 pm. Artist John Gates leads this workshop in which attendees will take a home a painting of the Presidio that they create. Whether attendees are seasoned artists or they’ve never picked up a paintbrush, this workshop will be a fun way to experience the Presidio Museum. All supplies will be provided, and participants will leave with a 5” x 7” painting matted in an 8” x 10” mat and protective sleeve. Registration is $60/person or $50/member, and pre-registration is required at https://tucsonpresidio.com/presidio-museum-workshops/
The second workshop being held this month is Taste of the Desert: Wild and Cultivated Food Plants of the Sonoran Desert Tasting & Workshop, held on Mar. 20 from 11 am-12:30 pm. Join naturalist Jack Dash for a discussion of wild edibles and native cultivated plants in southern Arizona. Attendees will learn the historic and contemporary uses for several species of Borderland plants and be able to taste dishes such as palo verde bean, edamame, prickly pear and agave agua fresca and mesquite crackers while learning how to make tepary bean hummus. The cost of the workshop and tasting is $60/person or $50/member. Pre-registration is required at https://tucsonpresidio.com/presidio-museum-workshops/
The Tohono O’odham Utilitarian Vessel Pottery Workshop will be held on Mar. 22, from 10 am-12 pm. Kathleen Vance, Tohono O’odham potter, will lead attendees in creating a Tohono O’odham Utilitarian Vessel, a small clay vessel made from white clay, which Kathleen digs and processes on her own. The method is known as paddle and anvil, using coils to build the walls of the vessel. The cost of the workshop is $65/person or $55/member. Pre-registration is required at https://tucsonpresidio.com/presidio-museum-workshops/
The museum’s popular walking tours continue this month. All tours are $35/person or $20/member unless otherwise stated. Pre-registration is required at www.TucsonPresidio.com/walking-tours:
Turquoise Trail – Mar. 8, 9-11:30 am
Death After Dark – Mar. 9 AND Mar. 23, 7 to 9 pm
Modern Streetcar & Walking Tour – Mar. 13, 9 am-1 pm
Presidio District Tour, Part 1 – Mar. 14, 10 am to 12 pm
Public Art & Murals – Mar. 22, 9 to 11 am
Public Art & Murals with Wine Tasting at Leo Kent Hotel – Mar. 22, 1 to 4 pm ($65/person, $55/member includes wine tasting)
Barrio Viejo – Mar. 23, 10-11:30 am
Santa Cruz River History – Mar. 28, 10 am to 12pm ($40/person, $25/member includes admission to Mission Garden)
Presidio District Tour, Part 2 – Mar. 28, 10 am-12 pm
Murals & More of the 4th Avenue District – Mar. 30, 11:30 am to 1 pm
Murals & More + Margaritas of the 4th Avenue District – Mar. 30, 2 to 4:30 pm
The Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum is located on the northeast corner of the original Presidio at 196 N. Court Ave. The Presidio Museum is a reconstruction of the original Tucson Presidio built in 1775. Docent tours give visitors a glimpse of what life in the Presidio was like for soldiers and other residents. Additional highlights include an original 150-year-old Sonoran row house and a 2,000-year-old prehistoric pit house.
Admission to the museum is $9 for adults, $6 for children ages 6-13 and free for children five and under and Presidio Museum members. Pima County residents, seniors 65+ and members of the military receive a $3 discount with ID. The Presidio Museum is managed by the Tucson Presidio Trust for Historic Preservation, a not-for-profit entity whose mission is to guide and aid in the interpretation of history at the Presidio San Agustín through research, education and living history experiences.
In 2025, the Presidio Museum will be the official host of the Celebration of All Things S-cuk Son/Tucson 250+, the anniversary of the Aug. 20, 1775, founding of the Presidio San Agustin and modern-day Tucson, as well as Tucson’s thousands of years of history and culture. The event will be held on Saturday, Aug. 23.
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