Tucson, AZ -- The Presidio Museum reopened after a summer hiatus on August 22. September hours will be Thursday through Sunday from 9 am to 3 pm. The Presidio Museum will host a variety of demonstrations, workshops,events and walking tours in September. 

 

The biggest event at the museum this month is our Mexican Independence Day Celebration, being held on Saturday, September 14, from 5-8 pm.  The event is FREE thanks to our sponsor, the Arizona Historical Society. On Sept. 16, 1821, Mexico won independence from Spain, making Tucson part of the newly founded country. Celebrate the culture and history of Mexico at this event:

5:00 pm.  Doors Open
5:15 pm.  Ballet Folklorico Tapatio
6:15 pm.  Mariachi Innovación
7:00 pm.  El Grito delivered by a representative from the Mexican Consulate
7:15 pm.  Lecture on how Tucson’s perceived identity changed going from a Spanish town to a Mexican one will be held at 7:15 pm.
 

Attendees will also have the opportunity to get their faces painted by Sparkled Wings and shop for traditional Mexican clothing at the event. The Dandelion Café will sell nachos and alcoholic and non-alcholic drinks.  

It’s prickly pear season in the desert.  Attendees at the museum’s Beyond Jelly: Prickly Pear Fruit Cooking Demonstration and Tasting will learn the quick way to juice the ruby-red fruit.  Cookbook author Carolyn Niethammer will also demonstrate a few easy recipes that aren’t jelly.  Prickly pear combines deliciously with apple, another autumn fruit.  And nobody can resist meatballs with prickly pear barbecue sauce.  Find inspiration for including prickly pear in our own favorite recipes.  Everybody gets to taste! The demonstration will be held on Thursday, September 5, from 9-11 am and costs $45/person or $35/member.  Pre-registration is required at www.TucsonPresidio.com/calendars.

A couple of other demonstrations that are included in admission will also be held this month.

·      Traveler’s Tales will be held each Friday in September from 9-11:30 am and 1-3 pm. Learn how people found their way around the region before GPS. Navigational objects on display will include maps, compasses, and an astrolabe.  Visitors will also hear stories of historic figures of the time who used these instruments from a re-enactor dressed as a Spanish civilian in the New Spain era.

·      A Blacksmith Demonstration will be held on Saturday, October 12, from 10 am-1 pm. Learn about the Blacksmith's role at the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson and watch as they make the types of tools that would have been needed and used by Presidio residents and soldiers. You may even get to pump the bellows!

 

Our famous walking tours continue this month.  The following tours are $30/person or $20/Presidio Museum Member, unless otherwise indicated. Pre-registration is required at https://tucsonpresidio.com/walking-tours/. Tour descriptions can also be found at this link.

 

Death After Dark – Every Friday in September, 8-10 pm

Turquoise Trail – Saturday, September 7, 7:30-10 am

Mainly Murals – Saturday, September 7, 8-10 am

Mainly Murals with Wine Tasting – Saturday, September 7, 5-8 pm ($60/person, $50/member)

Barrio Viejo – Saturday, September 7 AND Saturday, September 21, 5:30-7 pm

Public Art & Murals – Saturday, September 21, 8-10 am

Pioneer Women of Main Avenue – Saturday, September 21, 8-10 am

Public Art & Murals + Wine Tasting – Saturday, September 21, 5:30-8:30 pm ($65/person, $55/member)

Murals & More in the 4th Avenue District – Sunday, September 22, 5:30-7 pm

Santa Cruz River History Tour – Friday, September 27, 8-10 am ($35/person or $25/member)

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 is $9 for adults, $6 for children ages 6-13 and free for children 5 and under and Presidio Museum members. A $3 discount is available for Pima County residents, seniors, and members of the military with appropriate identification. 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.

 

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