Construction of the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson began sometime in 1776. At first a wood palisade was built, enclosing a few buildings including the Comandante's house. Then a thick adobe wall was begun. Both soldiers and local O'odham worked on the project, packing mud into wooden molds to create adobe bricks. The average size of a brick was about 22 inches long, 11 inches wide, and between 3 and 4 inches thick. Soil, organic material (straw, grass, and other dead plants), and water were mixed to make the adobe. Soil was mined from the adjacent floodplain and from inside the area of the fortress. Some soil was mined on the exterior of the walls, creating a shallow ditch or moat. This was useful for keeping water away from the walls, since adobe rapidly erodes when exposed to moisture. It also made the walls higher when someone stood in the ditch.
Construction of the wall, a display created in 1993 by artist Joe Ferrera (1932-2004).
The adobe bricks were air-dried, and then set in place using more mud as mortar. In most places the bricks were laid directly onto the ground. Accounts by people who grew up in the fortress or arrived before the walls were dismantled indicate it was between 10 and 12 feet tall, with the towers much higher.
The walls were only partially completed when a massive Apache raid in 1782 happened. The cannon was fired, ending the raid. The rapid completion of the walls, which were finished the following year, was visible in the tower where courses of adobe bricks alternated with layers of poured mud.
During the 80 years the fort existed the walls needed constant repairs as monsoon rains damaged them. After the arrival of Americans in 1856, the wall was taken down, the adobes broken up and reused to make new adobes. The last standing portion was torn down in 1918.
Construction of the wall, a display created in 1993 by artist Joe Ferrera (1932-2004).
The adobe bricks were air-dried, and then set in place using more mud as mortar. In most places the bricks were laid directly onto the ground. Accounts by people who grew up in the fortress or arrived before the walls were dismantled indicate it was between 10 and 12 feet tall, with the towers much higher.
The walls were only partially completed when a massive Apache raid in 1782 happened. The cannon was fired, ending the raid. The rapid completion of the walls, which were finished the following year, was visible in the tower where courses of adobe bricks alternated with layers of poured mud.
During the 80 years the fort existed the walls needed constant repairs as monsoon rains damaged them. After the arrival of Americans in 1856, the wall was taken down, the adobes broken up and reused to make new adobes. The last standing portion was torn down in 1918.
This display was once in the Pima County Assessor's Office, and was moved to the Presidio Museum.
The City of Tucson recreated the northeast corner of the Presidio, with the Museum opening in 2007. Other locations of the wall are marked on the sidewalks, including a marble strip in the 1929 Pima County Courthouse.
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