Pima County

Most of the communities in Arizona are fairly new, settled by ranchers or miners looking to strike it rich in the mountains. Tucson which locals have nicknamed the "Old Pueblo" has been settled since pre-Spanish times by the Native Americans which still live in the area, the Tohono O'odham, and their predecessors, the ancient Hohokam. In the early 1960's, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino traveled up from Mexico into southern Arizona or what was then called Pimeria Alta to convert the indigenous peoples to Catholicism. In this endeavor, he established missions along the way. The northernmost mission that he established was at a Tohono O'odham village called Bac about 7 miles south of Tucson. Kino's fellow Jesuits built a beautiful church called San Xavier del Bac at this site which still exists today as a thriving, active parish serving the Tohono O'odham which still live in the region.

In 1775, the Spanish built a presidio or fort and another mission on the east bank of the Santa Cruz River opposite to the already existing Tohono O'odham village of Chuk Shon which means "black foothills." The Spanish translated the Tohono O'odham name as Tuquison which eventually became Tucson. Today, Tucson is a sprawling modern city that I call home. Here are some of the pictures that capture the essence of the "Old Pueblo."

©2004 Michael A. Brunke
<brunke@atmo.arizona.edu>