Tucson might have slowed down but at Tucson Presidio Historic Museum, things are as busy as ever but with one proviso. Activities happen in the morning or late afternoon, when it’s a bit cooler.
The best part is that activities include both children and adults. For adults, there are the wine and margarita art and mural tours led by a Downtown resident and the history of Tucson tours led by a seventh-generation Tucsonan.
For kids who love to learn about history, there are weeklong camps that focus on the facts and activities that kept the people who established Tucson, both indigenous and late-comers, alive.
Art and Murals
Dorothy Yanez has made the public art and murals of Downtown her calling. She had always admired our public artwork and really studied it. It turns out there are actually more than 100 pieces of art and murals to look at.
Murals change often, especially at the Rialto Theatre, which changes with each new act that comes into town to play there. Those are painted by the remarkable Jessica Gonzalez.
“She is extremely talented,” Yanez said.
Participants in Yanez’s tours learn the difference between tagging, graffiti and defacing. Yanez said tagging is starting to be an issue Downtown.
“Within the last six months there has been more tagging which has been so disrespectful of the artists,” she said.
Yanez spent months and months developing her tours. She talked to many of the muralists so she has the inside scoop.
Does she have a favorite piece of public art?
“It’s really hard to pick,” she said. “It’s like asking which of your brothers and sisters you like the most.”
When taking one of Yanez’s tours, visitors really come to appreciate the art.
“(The artwork) is a win-win situation,” she said. “You’re supporting the arts and you’re beautifying the city.”
Yanez has eight tours both in Downtown and along Fourth Avenue, where there are even more murals. Half of those end at either a place to sample wine or sit down to a margarita, though those are not included in the cost of the price of the tour. Yanez also has a tour of the Turquoise Trail, where she discusses the history of Tucson.
All her tours cover about two miles and last about two and a half hours. The wine and margarita tours start in the late afternoon. The others are in the morning.
No whitewashed history here
Mauro Trejo has spent a lifetime studying the history of Tucson. It’s not just his home; it has also been the home of six generations of his family. That is why he is intent on giving the true facts of what happened, not the “nice” version learned in school.
Trejo also gives a Turquoise Trail tour which includes Barrio Viejo, a well-heeled part of Downtown, though it was once considered sketchy. Participants in this tour will learn not just about the barrio but about the prehistory of Tucson, when there was an actual river and the place was home to First Nation peoples.
“You get more of a general history of the city from pretty much from prehistory all the way up to statehood,” Trejo said.
This is a morning walking tour, covers about two and a half miles and lasts about two and a half hours.
“It’s a decent pace, it’s not too much,” Trejo said. “I’ve never had anybody complain that it was rigorous.”
Trejo also leads a Santa Cruz River History tour, which begins at Mission Garden. It covers the origin of Tucson and the demise of the river and what it looked like pre-industrial and finally has a stop at the Garden of Gethsemane.
When Trejo talks about Tucson’s history, his love of the city is evident.
“I think Tucson’s history is absolutely amazing, so under-appreciated,” he said. I don’t think people understand just how rich the history is here.”
Trejo is working on getting some evening tours rolled out this summer. Keep an eye on the website for information.
These are not the only tours the Presidio offers. They include tours of the Armory Park neighborhood, the Court Street Cemetery, the Evergreen Cemetery, the History of Congress Street, Mansions of Main Avenue and Pioneer Women of Main Avenue. Look here for times, dates and costs: tucsonpresidio.com/walking-tours.
Note: For all the tours, wear good walking shoes and a hat and bring lots of water.
Historic Camping
For kids who like history, Tucson Presidio is offering three weeklong camps where the learning will be hands-on with historic activities done in an authentic fashion.
Ginger Thompson, community engagement and education manager for the Presidio, designed these camps. She said the activities will be interactive.
“One of our activities is actually the history of ice cream, and when ice cream came to Tucson, and it’s followed by the kids making ice cream,” she said. “Even though it’s about history, it’s about different things in history.”
Each week has a different theme and has to be registered for separately. They are:
• “Hands-On History,” June 3 to June 7, which focuses on experimental archeology and science as it pertains to this area. Kids will learn how cochineal beetles were used to produce many colors of dyes. They might learn to make a spear or traditional O'odham pottery.
• “Life on the Frontier,” June 10 to Jun 14, kids will learn what it was like before electricity and running water. They could use a telegraph or play baseball using the original rules (they have changed with time). They may also make ice cream.
• “From S-cuk son to Tucson,” June 17 to June 21, campers will learn what type of person survived in this environment. Activities could include making their own alebrijes and tasting prickly pear fruit.
Camp takes place at the Presidio Museum, 196 N. Court Avenue, and campers must be at least 6 years old. Cost is $265 for nonmembers and $240 for members. There is a 10% discount for siblings. Campers should bring their own lunches and snacks as they will not be provided.
For information about the camps, email gingert@tucsonpresido.com, visit tucsonpresidio.com or call 520-622-0594.
Presidio San Agustin del Tucson Museum
196 N. Court Avenue
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays
The museum will be closed from July 1 through Aug. 20.
It will reopen Aug. 21.
520-622-0594.
tucsonpresidio.com/walking-tours/
tucsonpresidio.com/summer-camp/
