The earliest Native Americans in the Tucson area did not leave much in the way of architecture. There are many pit house sites, which have been excavated but nothing on the scale of Casa Grande, 50 miles north. A great deal of pottery and artifacts has been gathered and give some hints at the culture that produced them. Also, the oral traditions of the Tohono O'Odham people are a rich source of knowledge about these pre-Columbian people. The Arizona State Museum just inside the University Main Gate and the nearby Arizona Historical Society Heritage Center both have interesting collections and interpretive material. The Amerind Foundation near Dragoon has an impressive collection of Indian pottery and artifacts.
For sightseeing though, the most fascinating Native American legacy is the haunting petroglyphs and pictographs left by these people. There are excellent examples throughout the Tucson area.
There is living heritage of the old Native American ways as well. For example, the Yaqui Indians have an elaborate annual festival at the Pascua Yaqui Village, in southwest Tucson. The event held several nights during Easter week melds Catholic religion and tribal rites in the Ayaquis' unique interpretation of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
The strong influence of the Native American spiritual beliefs on the Catholic Church is nowhere more obvious than at Mission San Xavier del Bac. The collection of statuary and decoration depict the usual religious figures, but sometimes with a demonic twist reflecting tribal beliefs predating the coming of the Spanish.
Signal Hill Petroglyphs
This area has been inhabited for at least eight thousand years and ancient trails, shrines and sleeping circles have been identified. The petroglyphs were probably made by Hohokam Indians who lived in the Tucson Mountains from 700 to 1300 AD. Scholars are unsure whether the petroglyphs are artistic expressions or communications of some sort. Regardless, they are striking, especially with the expansive background spread out behind them.
Signal Hill Picnic Area is located just off Golden Gate Road about a mile and a half east of Sandario Road. There is a path to the little hill where the petroglyphs are located just north of the picnic are. The picnic area is open all year round, 24 hours a day. It is best to visit in the early or late part of the day for the good light, midday in winter if it is cool. There are restrooms and drinking water available. The Visitor Center has a ranger on duty and sells maps and books. Picnicking is allowed, but no camping. Pets must be leashed and are not allowed on trails. Nearby places of interest include King Canyon petroglyphs; Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; Old Tucson; Gates Pass.
King Canyon Petroglyphs
This is an easy hike and should take about 20 or 30 minutes each way. Take some water;
there is none at the picnic area. There is often water in the creek, but it needs to be treated.
Even though the water in the creek may not be potable, it does support a variety of flowers. The little waterfalls are also pretty when there is a lot of water in the creek. The petroglyphs are extensive and were probably made by the same Hohokam Indian people as those at Signal Hill.
If you hike out the wash you will encounter a shelf of bedrock extending into the creek just before the road. There is an excellent conical metate in it. A metate is a hole in which Indians place mesquite beans to be ground for food. The grinding was done with another rock used as a pestle.
When you get back down the canyon to the road you may spot the path that leads back up to the parking lot. If you don't, just make a left at the road to return.
Just across Kinney Road from the Desert Museum is a small unmarked parking lot. From here, there is a jeep road heading up the hill. There is also a signed path just to the left; this leads directly into the canyon. I would suggest you do this hike as a loop and take the jeep road in to get overall views of the canyon and the area, and then hike back down the canyon to your car. Where you see the Mam-a-gah picnic area the trail drops into the canyon. You have hiked 0.9 mile. Go down the canyon (really just a wash here) a few hundred yards or so.
Below a small, filled-in dam you will encounter the petroglyphs.
You can visit this area all year, but only very early in the day from June to October, unless the thunderstorms have cooled things off a lot. The best lighting will be early and late, but it may be cold in the winter until the sun warms up the canyon. It is open 24 hours and there is restroom at the Mam-a-gah picnic area. No pets are allowed on the trail and no alcohol is allowed. Other nearby places of interest include Signal Hill petroglyphs; Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; Old Tucson; Gates Pass.
Mission San Xavier Del Bac
When the Spanish missionaries arrived in southern Arizona their objective was to bring the heathen souls of the Indians into the mother church. They also did a little mining, but mainly they were intent on building their missions (with considerable labor of the Indians). In order to convert the Indians, they fed them and introduced them to European ways.
Most importantly, the Spanish soldiers helped the Indians gathered at the missions to protect themselves from predation by the other Indians. The Pima, Sobaipuri, Maricopa and Yuma tribes feuded and raided each other endlessly and violently. The Apaches preyed on all of them and on the Spanish.
The Indian settlement, which predated the mission here, was called Bac meaning "the places where the water appears." The Santa Cruz River flowed underground for distance from the south but reappeared at a spot near the present sit of the mission. There was extensive agriculture in many Indian settlements along the water courses in southern Arizona for centuries before the Spanish came.
In 1700, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino first established a church about two miles north of the present location of the mission. The current building was started in 1783 and finished in 1797. One tower remains incomplete to this day.
This is probably the most photogenic thing - animal, vegetable or mineral - in Arizona. The white, graceful walls catch the light wonderfully and the mission forms a marvelous foreground for pictures of the enormous summer thunderheads. The little hill just east makes a great place to watch the sunset or the sunrise any time of the year.
To reach Mission San Xavier Del Bac you take I-10 to I-19 and go south several miles and exit at San Xavier Road. The mission is about ½ mile west. You may visit all year round, but the best time of day to visit is early and late for the best light. Facilities available include a gift shop, restrooms, food and Native American handicraft vendors in season.
