Friday, July 31, 2020



Rooted in Tucson’s Past

Fig tree, 2020.

There is a grand fig tree that sprawls across the southeast corner of the Territorial Courtyard, commanding over the newly created Soledad’s Garden. It predates the Museum. In fact, it may even be rooted in Soledad Jacome’s original patio garden, dating back more than a century.

Fig tree, 2007.

When the Presidio opened in 2007, above-ground the tree was merely a few scrawny suckers that had sprouted from a big old trunk. Underground, a perduring root mass indicated that there was a lot more to the story. Archaeologists found there had been a privy pit nearby, which seemed to explain how the tree could have survived the passage of time. The organic matter would have increased the fertility and water-holding capacity of the soil, giving the tree the extra boost it needed to get through a long period of oblivion, until the new Museum caretakers and City arborists came to the rescue.

The fig tree from behind.

The fig tree now stands tall and wide, providing a verdant leafy refuge and deliciously sweet fruit for insects, birds and people. It is what is known as a Black Mission Fig, the most widespread variety among Tucson’s heirloom figs, for it tolerates our scorching heat, moderate frosts and alkaline soils, as long as it gets properly abundant irrigation. It offers two crops a year: the first—breba—crop grows on the previous year’s wood and ripens in late May to early June, whereas the second crop grows on the new wood and ripens in mid to late July. 

Black Mission figs.

In truth, the “fruits” are not fruits at all, but receptacles containing many flowers. The small hole in the bottom of figs is the entryway for the fig-specific pollinator, the fig wasp. However, although Spanish missionaries introduced figs into this region at the dawn of the 18th century, the fig wasps that co-evolved with Ficus carica since it originated in the Fertile Crescent (the area around  Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey), about 6,000 years ago. They did not exist here in America and were brought to Tucson by the Spanish. Luckily, figs are easy to clone with cuttings. Surely, many of the heritage fig trees around the Old Pueblo, including this one, came from the same stock, propagated in backyards, and shared among neighbors.
Interior of a fig.
Monsoon season is fig season. Ripe figs are very soft to the touch, droop slightly and are easily removed from branches. They ripen in succession and should be harvested daily, for it is ever the game of cat-and-mouse with the birds and bugs. As the season advances, so does the clamorous buzzing and dive-bombing of the ‘fig-beetles’ or ‘June bugs’, who cluster around the sweetest figs and devour them. Still, there always seem to be way more than enough left for people to eat fresh, as jam, or in the traditional empanadas.
Fig beetles enjoying a fig.
Sweet figs, June bugs, and the scorching hot humid days of high summer. All things inevitably also experienced by Soledad, and her daughters, and her neighbors, back in the day. All part of the cycles of this place, rooting us to it, past and present.  

Dena Cowan
Heritage Gardens Manager and Foodways Instructor



196 N. Court Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85701
United States
540-622-0594

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

What happened to Juan Siqueiros?

Soledad Jacome lived in the house at 196 N. Court Avenue from the construction of the northern room in 1866 until her death in 1911. Today the house is the gift shop and exhibits rooms of the Presidio Museum.

Soledad was the mother of six daughters, most of whom were apparently fathered by a man named Juan Siqueiros. 

Juan was born in the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson around 1840, the son of Jose Siqueiros and Maria Gonzales. His father was a Presidio soldier. Juan entered into a relationship with Soledad around 1857. The couple's first child, Inez, was born in January 1858. Afterward they had Isadora (1860), Phillipa (1862), Bernarda (1865), Petra (1868), and Paula (1873). Phillipa apparently died as an infant and Petra died in the smallpox epidemic of 1870.

Juan disappeared after the birth of Paula in 1873. What happened? A sign in the museum states he either left Soledad or died after 1873. Genealogy is a never ending pursuit- you cannot predict when you will find new information about someone. Recently, this proved to be the case for Juan. As it turned out, he moved north to Maricopa County and married a woman named Mariana Quihuis in 1891. The couple had four children, two of whom remained unidentified. The others were Ramon (1881-1948) and Juan (1887-1954). 

In 1900, Juan, his wife Mariana, and their sons lived in Maricopa County, where Juan worked as a farmer, helped out by Ramon. 

 
 Juan Siqueiros household, 1900 US census, Maricopa County, Arizona.

In 1910, the couple lived in Phoenix, with Juan no longer working. He died from apoplexy (a stroke) on November 22, 1915 at Buckeye. He was buried in the Saint Francis Cemetery in Phoenix.

Juan Siqueiros's Death Certificate, 1915, Maricopa County, Arizona.

What we do not know is why Juan and Soledad split up after having a relationship for 16 years. We also do not know if the families remained in contact with each other.  


196 N. Court Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85701
United States
540-622-0594


Thursday, July 23, 2020

In 1939 Hollywood came to Tucson with the construction of a large set on the west side of the Tucson Mountains.There the movie Arizona was filmed, starring Jean Arthur as Phoebe Titus and William Holden as Peter Muncie.



On July 25, 2020, the Presidio Museum will be showing the movie beginning at 7:30 PM. The viewing takes place outside in a socially-distant setting, and masks are required. Register for the event HERE.

Jean Arthur's character is based on John "Pie" Allen, who sold pies from his stand to provide himself a living. Other actors portray some of the real-life residents of Tucson in the 1870s. These include Solomon Warner, Pete Kitchen, Granville Oury (called Grant in the movie), Estevan Ochoa, Sam Hughes, and Charles Meyers (called Meyer in the movie).



Paul Harvey as Solomon Warner and Jean Arthur as Phoebe Titus.

The movie was filmed in April and May 1940, providing local residents with much excitement. Many appeared as extras. It premiered in Tucson on November 15, 1940, with a three-mile long western parade. William Holden, Rita Hayworth, Hedda Hopper, and Melvyn Douglas were among the celebrities who rode in the parade.


Parade.

Afterward, the set would become what is today "Old Tucson," and was the location of many western films and tv shows.

Come join us as we watch a fictional version of Tucson's history!


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196 N. Court Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85701
United States
540-622-0594

Tuesday, July 21, 2020


It’s raining at the Presidio! Raining jujubes, that is.


The heirloom jujube tree in the courtyard was donated by Tucson’s prominent architect Fe Tom, a first generation Chinese-American who participated in the recreation of the Presidio. The tree is a reminder of the major cultural and economic contributions of the Chinese population in  the ‘Old Pueblo’ since the late 1800s.

Originating in southern Asia, jujubes have been cultivated in China for 4,000 years. They were brought into the southwestern US in the late 1800s. Jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba), also known as red dates or Chinese dates, belong to the Rhamnaceae family. They are thorny deciduous trees that can grow up to 30 or 40 feet.


They are excellent fruit trees for Tucson growing conditions, as they are highly drought, heat, and cold tolerant, as well as disease resistant. What is more, they thrive in marginally fertile, sandy soils with high salinity and alkalinity. Plants send out suckers from their roots, so when well watered, they can become invasive if left to their druthers. Fortunately, these suckers can be easily kept in check by cutting or mowing, or they can be dug up and replanted elsewhere, as new trees.

The fruits are drupes about one inch long. When immature they are green, and blush to mahogany as they ripen. At this stage they can be eaten fresh, right off the tree, as soon as they are sweet and juicy enough. Fruits contain a single kernel with two seeds. The fruit does not ripen all at once; it can be picked over the course of several weeks. Fresh jujubes are crisp and taste like small apples. Alternatively, they can be left to dry on the tree, in which case they turn dark red, shriveled and very sweet, like dates. At this stage it can be stored indefinitely.


There are many different varieties of jujubes. Most have smooth oblong fruit that clings to the tree until it dries. The Presidio jujube, however, has relatively large, bumpy, squarish fruit, many of which fall off the tree when they are still fresh and crisp. I chose to dry a batch of fallen fruit in the sun oven so we can store them throughout the year.


Jujubes are high in vitamin C and they are used medicinally in teas to soothe sore throats, and to relieve stress, as well as for myriad other properties they are purported to have: anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunostimulant among them.

They are commonly eaten simply as snacks, added to warming winter soups, or used to make syrups and pastes.


As we eagerly await our beloved monsoon rains, we can take pleasure in another kind of rain that falls in the same season, jujube rain.


By Dena Cowan
Heritage Gardener and Foodways Instructor

This blog is sponsored by 


196 N. Court Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85701
United States
540-622-0594


Friday, July 17, 2020

A TIME CAPSULE 

In 2001, Desert Archaeology conducted exploratory archaeological work in a parking lot at the southwest corner of W. Washington Street and N. Church Avenue. The parking lot had been in use since 1955. Prior to that time it was the location of the Dodge Boarding House, operated by Herbert and Julia Dodge. The boarding house was constructed in 1898 and was torn down in early December 1954. Today you can see some of its stone foundations outside of the Presidio Museum on its east side.

Local businessman and history enthusiast George Chambers had photographed the Dodge Boarding House prior to its demolition. He knew that the area was probably the corner of the old Spanish Presidio, so he set about organizing an archaeological excavation, enlisting students from the Anthropology Department of the University of Arizona and raising money to pay them.

The archaeologists quickly found thick adobe walls. Their attentions were soon diverted when they found a prehistoric pit structure, which they proceeded to excavate.


Archaeologists excavating the prehistoric pit structure, the thick adobe wall is behind them (photo courtesy Arizona State Museum).

 Hundreds of people came to view the excavations. George Chambers hoped the City of Tucson would preserve the site, but local politicians were not interested. The excavation was back-filled on December 28, 1954.


The completed excavation, with the adobe wall on the right with the pit structure in the center (photo courtesy Arizona State Museum).

Fast forward to December 2002. On the first day of the Desert Archaeology dig we decided to re-excavate the pit structure explored in 1954. One of the archaeologists asked we were going to find a time capsule. I laughed, "No one finds time capsules." An hour later a large pickle jar was found in a pit inside the pit structure. Visible through the glass was an envelope with the letterhead, "Tucson Newspapers Company." This was the business headed by George Chambers.


Re-excavated Presidio wall and pit structure. The time capsule is in the pit on the right (photo courtesy Desert Archaeology).

On December 5th an opening ceremony was held. After I removed the lid, Mayor Robert Walkup reached in and gently pulled out the letter. It was opened up and the letter carefully unfolded. 

Councilman Fred Ronstadt trying to remove a newspaper from inside the pickle jar. Mayor Robert Walkup stands behind him (in black suit jacket). Presidio Trust member Irma Moreno watches from the far right side (photograph by Robert Ciaccio, Desert Archaeology).


The letter read: "TO WHOMEVER MAY BE AS MUCH CONCERNED AS I: AND MORE SUCCESSFUL IN AROUSING PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVING THIS HISTORIC SITE."


George Chambers's letter (photo courtesy Desert Archaeology).

Also in the jar was a newspaper from December 26, 1954, as well as a penny, nickel, and dime from 1954.

George Chambers had passed away in 1978, so never knew that his hopes that the site would be preserved would take place. After finding the well preserved adobe walls of the corner tower and east exterior wall, the decision was made to recreate the corner, carefully offsetting the new walls so that the original walls could be preserved in place.

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Monday, July 13, 2020

Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias passed away suddenly on March 28, 2020. He was a great friend of the Presidio Museum, appearing at our events. He was proud of his family's ancestry, which began in Tucson in the late 1790s, when his 5th great grandparents Cornelio Elias and Concepcion Apodaca lived inside the walls of the fortress.

An altar (ofrenda) has been set up in his memory in the back porch of the Siquieros-Jacome House. Wikipedia describes an ofrenda as: "An ofrenda is a collection of objects placed on a ritual display during the annual and traditionally Mexican Día de Muertos celebration. An ofrenda, which may be quite large and elaborate, is usually created for an individual person who has died and is intended to welcome them to the altar setting."

Altar.

The public is welcome to bring mementos for the altar during the Presidio Museum's limited business hours: Thursday through Saturday from 4:30 to 8:30 pm. There is no charge for admission through August 29, and those wanting to leave a memento will also be allowed in free after that date. The altar will be up until November 8.

KVOA did a story on the altar, which you can view online HERE.

Richard David Elias, 1958-2020.

To learn more about Richard's life, his obituary is online HERE.


196 N. Court Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85701
United States
540-622-0594

Thursday, July 9, 2020

The Early Agricultural Period extends from 2100 BC to AD 50. The period is divided into three phases. The Silverbell Interval runs from 2100 BC to 1200 BC. During this time span maize (corn) made its way north to the Tucson Basin, where it was planted in fields by people living along the Santa Cruz River. These people relied primarily on gathered plants and animals they hunted along the river and nearby mountains. Maize supplemented their diet, but they moved about the landscape, seeking out food resources, likely on an annual schedule. We don't know a lot about this time span because the sites are deeply buried in the flood plain, in some cases more than 10 feet down. Few archaeological projects are conducted at that depth.

Excavations south of W. Congress Street at the Clearwater Site. The white circles are Silverbell Interval pit structures.


The San Pedro phase goes from 1200 BC to 800 BC. During this time irrigation agriculture was extensively employed, with ditches taking water from the Santa Cruz River and from other smaller streams, the Rillito, Pantano, and Canada del Oro, that may have had water only during the monsoon season. The small ditches carried water to areas where numerous small fields were dug out, the dirt piled around the edges in berms. Water was run into the fields, filling them, and then the berms were closed and the next plot watered. The Las Capas site had very large field systems that were explored prior to the construction of large tanks at the sewage facility at Ina Road.

Many storage pits were found at the site. Bell-shaped pits have a narrow opening at the top, with the pit widening out below. The narrow opening limited the amount of water, insects, and rodents that could get inside the pit, preserving whatever was stored inside from damage. Most likely the pits were used for short-term storage of maize and other perishable items.

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A bell-shaped storage pit at the Las Capas site.  

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This fired-clay pipe was found in the pit, the oldest example known from the Tucson Basin.

The Cienega phase runs from 800 BC to AD 50. This period saw the creation of larger villages, perhaps occupied year round. We find many small, round houses, some used as dwellings and others for storage. Each community usually has one larger house that was probably used for ceremonies or gatherings where community concerns were discussed. The pit structure in the Presidio Museum dates to this time period. Abalone shell jewelry, probably manufactured in what is now modern-day California, and obsidian sourced from distant places in Arizona, New Mexico, and Sonora, show that people were trading between far-away places. A few small pots have been found, revealing the first experimentation with ceramics.


The pit structure in the Presidio Museum, as excavated.

Artist Robert Ciaccio, of Desert Archaeology, Inc., has created visualizations of what a Cienega phase village at the Clearwater Site would have looked like, using archaeological and ethnological evidence. These depictions help modern people better understand what life was like in long-ago Tucson.


Visualization by Robert Ciaccio, courtesy Desert Archaeology, Inc.

For more information about the Early Agricultural Period, the Tucson Underground issue of Archaeology Southwest Magazine is available in the Presidio Museum gift shop for $10.



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196 N. Court Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85701
United States
540-622-0594