The Tumacácori National Historical Park in Tumacácori AZ is located about 47 miles south of Tucson on I-19. The first and third Saturdays of each month from now through March 21, 2020 (that is, for the two remaining dates of March 7, 2020, and March 21, 2020), from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the Tumacácori National Historical Park provides “Special Guided Tours to Calabazas and Guevavi Missions” starting at Tumacácori National Historical Park, 1891 E. Frontage Rd., Tumacácori, Arizona for $25/person. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED. To make reservations go to https://www.recreation.gov/ or https://www.nps.gov/tuma/index.htm or telephone the Tumacácori visitor center at 520-377-5060.

The fragile historic mission ruin sites of Guevavi and Calabazas are protected within the national park but normally closed to the public. Each guided tour begins at Tumacácori National Historical Park Visitor Center, then participants ride in a 15-passenger van to Guevavi and Calabazas. At each location participants walk on unshaded, moderately improved trails to reach the mission ruins, including one short section of steep, uphill trail at Calabazas. The tours are not wheelchair accessible and require walking on uneven terrain. Participants need to bring water and wear comfortable walking shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather. After the tour returns to Tumacácori, participants are invited to visit the Tumacácori Mission church and grounds, visitor center, and museum on their own or go on the next guided tour of Tumacácori (starting at 2 p.m.) at no additional charge.

Time's a-wastin' to take a trip to Southeastern Arizona while the weather is still cool(ish). We'll see you there!

/s/ webmaster [Photo of Guevavi ruins via Tumacacori NHP]

The Tumacácori National Historical Park in Tumacácori AZ is located about 47 miles south of Tucson on I-19. The first and third Saturdays of each month from now through March 21, 2020 (that is, for the three remaining dates of February 15, 2020; March 7, 2020; and March 21, 2020, ONLY), from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the Tumacácori National Historical Park provides “Special Guided Tours to Calabazas and Guevavi Missions” starting at Tumacácori National Historical Park, 1891 E. Frontage Rd., Tumacácori, Arizona for $25/person. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED. To make reservations go to https://www.recreation.gov/ or https://www.nps.gov/tuma/index.htm or telephone the Tumacácori visitor center at 520-377-5060.

The fragile historic mission ruin sites of Guevavi and Calabazas are protected within the national park but normally closed to the public. Each guided tour begins at Tumacácori National Historical Park Visitor Center, then participants ride in a 15-passenger van to Guevavi and Calabazas. At each location participants walk on unshaded, moderately improved trails to reach the mission ruins, including one short section of steep, uphill trail at Calabazas. The tours are not wheelchair accessible and require walking on uneven terrain. Participants need to bring water and wear comfortable walking shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather. After the tour returns to Tumacácori, participants are invited to visit the Tumacácori Mission church and grounds, visitor center, and museum on their own or go on the next guided tour of Tumacácori (starting at 2 p.m.) at no additional charge.

Time to take a trip to Southeastern Arizona? We'll see you out there!

/s/ webmaster [Photo of Guevavi ruins via Tumacacori NHP]

The Sierra County Historical Society, the Geronimo Springs Museum, and the TorC Chamber of Commerce are co-sponsoring their 2020 Annual Dinner and Fundraiser at 5:30 PM on Saturday, March 7, 2020. Everyone is invited.

Held at the TorC Civic Center at 400 West Fourth Street, the cost for the presentation alone is $15 per person, or $25 per person (or $45 per couple) for the presentation and a brisket dinner. Children 12 and under get dinner for $15 per child. Come out to support this worthy cause, enjoy a nice meal, and hear a special presentation.

The keynote speaker is Dr. Matthew F. Schmader, adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico, who will present "Vazquez de Coronado and the Southern Tiwas, 1540-1542." This talk will highlight the battle at Piedras Marcadas Pueblo (Southern Tiwa Pueblo) between Vazquez de Coronado and the Native Pueblo inhabitants in 1540. This pueblo was the largest in the Albuquerque area with over 1000 rooms and over 1500 Coronado period artifacts have been recovered. Learn about this important historic encounter that happened in Nuevo Mexico...and view some of the Coronado artifacts.

For more information contact the Geronimo Springs Museum at (575) 894-6600. We'll see you there!

/s/ webmaster

The Tumacácori National Historical Park in Tumacácori AZ is located about 47 miles south of Tucson on I-19. The first and third Saturdays of each month from now through March 21, 2020 (that is, for the four remaining dates of February 1, 2020; February 15, 2020; March 7, 2020; and March 21, 2020, ONLY), from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the Tumacácori National Historical Park provides “Special Guided Tours to Calabazas and Guevavi Missions” starting at Tumacácori National Historical Park, 1891 E. Frontage Rd., Tumacácori, Arizona for $25/person. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED. To make reservations go to https://www.recreation.gov/ or https://www.nps.gov/tuma/index.htm or telephone the Tumacácori visitor center at 520-377-5060.

The fragile historic mission ruin sites of Guevavi and Calabazas are protected within the national park but normally closed to the public. Each guided tour begins at Tumacácori National Historical Park Visitor Center, then participants ride in a 15-passenger van to Guevavi and Calabazas. At each location participants walk on unshaded, moderately improved trails to reach the mission ruins, including one short section of steep, uphill trail at Calabazas. The tours are not wheelchair accessible and require walking on uneven terrain. Participants need to bring water and wear comfortable walking shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather. After the tour returns to Tumacácori, participants are invited to visit the Tumacácori Mission church and grounds, visitor center, and museum on their own or go on the next guided tour of Tumacácori (starting at 2 p.m.) at no additional charge.

Time to take a trip to Southeastern Arizona? We'll see you out there!

/s/ webmaster [Photo of Guevavi ruins via Tumacacori NHP]

The Tumacácori National Historical Park in Tumacácori AZ is located about 47 miles south of Tucson on I-19. The first and third Saturdays of each month from now through March 21, 2020 (that is, for the four remaining dates of February 1, 2020; February 15, 2020; March 7, 2020; and March 21, 2020, ONLY), from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the Tumacácori National Historical Park provides “Special Guided Tours to Calabazas and Guevavi Missions” starting at Tumacácori National Historical Park, 1891 E. Frontage Rd., Tumacácori, Arizona for $25/person. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED. To make reservations go to https://www.recreation.gov/ or https://www.nps.gov/tuma/index.htm or telephone the Tumacácori visitor center at 520-377-5060.

The fragile historic mission ruin sites of Guevavi and Calabazas are protected within the national park but normally closed to the public. Each guided tour begins at Tumacácori National Historical Park Visitor Center, then participants ride in a 15-passenger van to Guevavi and Calabazas. At each location participants walk on unshaded, moderately improved trails to reach the mission ruins, including one short section of steep, uphill trail at Calabazas. The tours are not wheelchair accessible and require walking on uneven terrain. Participants need to bring water and wear comfortable walking shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather. After the tour returns to Tumacácori, participants are invited to visit the Tumacácori Mission church and grounds, visitor center, and museum on their own or go on the next guided tour of Tumacácori (starting at 2 p.m.) at no additional charge.

Time to take a trip to Southeastern Arizona? We'll see you out there!

/s/ webmaster [Photo of Guevavi ruins via Tumacacori NHP]

The Sierra County Historical Society, the Geronimo Springs Museum, and the TorC Chamber of Commerce are co-sponsoring their 2020 Annual Dinner and Fundraiser at 5:30 PM on Saturday, March 7, 2020. Everyone is invited.

Held at the TorC Civic Center at 400 West Fourth Street, the cost for the presentation alone is $15 per person, or $25 per person (or $45 per couple) for the presentation and a brisket dinner. Children 12 and under get dinner for $15 per child. Come out to support this worthy cause while enjoying a meal and hearing a special presentation.

The keynote speaker is Dr. Matthew F. Schmader, adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico, who will present "Vazquez de Coronado and the Southern Tiwas, 1540-1542." This talk will highlight the battle at Piedras Marcadas Pueblo (Southern Tiwa Pueblo) between Vazquez de Coronado and the Native Pueblo inhabitants in 1540. This pueblo was the largest in the Albuquerque area with over 1000 rooms and over 1500 Coronado period artifacts have been recovered. Learn about this important historic encounter that happened in Nuevo Mexico...and view some of the Coronado artifacts.

For more information contact the Geronimo Springs Museum at (575) 894-6600. The GCAS will see you there!

/s/ webmaster

Today's Guest Blogger is our very own GCAS President, Kyle Meredith, accompanied by Guest Photographer and GCAS Field Trip Coordinator, Greg Conlin. Together they report on a very satisfying visit to the Fort Bowie National Historic Site in southeastern Arizona:

We couldn’t have asked for better weather on our field trip to Ft. Bowie. Greg and Josh and Kyle arrived at the Tyrone parking lot way too early, but were gratified when new member, David Burr, and veteran member, Janet DeLoache, showed up for the adventure. We were all able to fit into one car (with Greg’s little dog Layla) and arrived at the trailhead ready for lunch before heading up the trail. We traveled as a pack, each asking questions and sharing our observations about the vegetation, landscape, and signage on the loop to and from the fort.

The GCAS prefers to restrict our blog posts to the US Southwest/Northwestern Mexico region on this here website, but we always make an exception for advances in DNA technology. From a Washington Post article dated March 15, 2019:

"One day about 200 years ago, a woman enslaved on a tobacco plantation near Annapolis tossed aside the broken stem of the clay pipe she was smoking in the slave quarters where she lived....the stem bore marks where she had clenched it in her teeth as she worked. But the stem bore something else she could never have imagined: her DNA.

The Imogen F. Wilson Foundation is hosting a walking tour of their Mimbres Culture Heritage Site this coming Saturday, March 2, 2019, from 1:30PM to 2:30PM. Come learn about the history and archaeology in your own back yard as talented tour leader Marilyn Markel guides you throughout the site. IFWF explains that this walking tour involves:

"light walking on 1/2 mile trail of the Mattocks Ruin Pre-historic archaeological site with a member of the Imogen F Wilson Educational Foundation. Learn about the ancient people who lived in the Mimbres Valley and the homesteaders living on site in the late 1800's and early 1900's. ADA restroom, museum with gift shop, plenty of parking on site. This is an opportunity to get a good insight to what life was like in the Mimbres valley from 1000 years ago, to the mid last century.

Find more details on the IFWF/MCHS Facebook page. Come and enjoy a pleasant afternoon in the Mimbres Valley with your neighbors, and support a worthwhile cause in your community. We'll see you there!

/s/ webmaster

Among the many layers of our federal government is the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). It functions under the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act and is a subagency of the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places deemed worthy of preservation. It coordinates public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archaeological resources. SHPO performs the essential duties of surveying, evaluating, and proposing for inclusion in the National Register significant historic buildings, and historic and archaeological sites, structures, districts, and objects.