Central Arizona

What is Día de los Muertos? From where does it originate? And how is it celebrated? Día de los Muertos or Days of the Dead is a significant and highly celebrated holiday in Mexico, Latin America, and the Southwestern United States. To understand Día de los Muertos one has to set aside preconceived notions. To […]

Ancient Indian petroglyphs (symbols carved or pecked on rocks) and pictographs (rock paintings) are claimed by some to be forms of writing for which meanings are known. But are such claims supported by archaeology or by Native Americans?  Dart illustrates how petroglyph and pictograph styles changed through time and over different regions of the American […]

Meet five early Arizona women who endured troubles and hardships during the territory’s early days, all of whom brought a unique perspective to the raw land. Apache warrior Lozen fought to hold onto land once freely roamed by her people. Larcena Pennington crawled down the Santa Rita Mountains after surviving captivity by the Apaches. Mary […]

The Fred Harvey company operated its exceptional chain of restaurants and hotels along the Santa Fe Railway from 1876 through the 1960s. Among its many innovations was the employment of “Harvey Girl” waitresses: single women who chose to leave their families and adhere to strict lifestyle restrictions for the opportunity to work at respectable jobs. […]

Cowboy movie star Tom Mix was internationally famous. Many legends and tall tales have been told about his life. This presentation highlights some of the true stories about Mix and his connection to Arizona and debunks some of the Hollywood hype. Why was Mix on that highway south of Florence where he met his death? […]