Marking the location of deaths with crosses or descansos is a very old custom which has been traced back to twelfth-century Europe. The custom diffused to the Americas with the arrival of the conquistadors in the sixteenth century. This presentation traces the evolution and diffusion of the roadside memorial, the typology of the crosses, states’ […]
With the exception of the most ardent collectors and the older generations, the influence and legacy of the big bands is largely forgotten despite their overwhelming popularity and significant role in early radio. Join Larson as he revisits the sounds that America listened and danced to for more than three decades. Learn how iconic artists […]
Salt has been a valuable trade item throughout human history. Native American salt procurement in the Southwest involved dangerous journeys across sacred landscapes associated with the deity Salt Woman. This presentation focuses on the prehistory of a famous salt mine in what is now known as Camp Verde. In the 1920s, miners discovered prehistoric salt-mining […]
In pioneer Arizona, among the best places to experience the performing arts were in the mining towns. Striking it rich meant having disposable income and miners, like the well-heeled of the Gilded Age, wanted to demonstrate their sophistication with culture. From the early popular music of ragtime and minstrelsy evolved orchestras, operas and glee clubs […]
A killer camel, a tornado-riding con man, a dead dragon, and a naked horse thief are some of the characters in the quirky stories from Southwest history that Peach loves to share in his original cowboy poetry. Laugh at and learn from these very tall and mostly true tales, like how Arizona forfeited a seaport […]
Arizona’s territorial era has the reputation of being a violent and crime-ridden place with ineffective criminal justice institutions. This presentation provides an overview of crime and justice in Arizona Territory. Based on data from court cases and newspapers, it describes the types of crimes most commonly committed and the justice system’s response to them. Contrary […]
The early history of Sonora/Arizona was deeply determined by the Jesuit Order. Padre Eusebio Kino arrived here in 1692 and died in 1711. Subsequently, a large number of German-speaking Jesuit missionaries arrived here, and many of them left highly fascinating reports, letters, diaries, maps, and encyclopedias behind (in German!). This talk deals with those missionaries […]
The American Southwest is world-renown for its colorful and spectacular landscapes like Grand Canyon, Sedona, Monument Valley, the Superstition Mountains, and the Sonoran Desert. But how did these wonders come to exist and what can ordinary rocks tell us about their ancient origins? You’ll be amazed to learn that the Southwest was once the site […]
On December 1, 2015, Jonathan Till (Edge of the Cedars) will present “Ancient Cultural Landscapes in Southeastern Utah and the Big Questions of Anthropology.” From Jonathan: My presentation will focus on the ancient and historic cultural landscapes of the Bluff valley in southeastern Utah. Sadly, these landscapes, and others, are threatened by pothunters and manic […]
Click Here to Reserve Your Seat The same wit, candor, and addictive, engaging attitude that Truth B. Told is known for is transferred from the stage to the page in “Words I Remember”, a collection of poems from the award-winning spoken word artist. Truth B. Told will read selected pieces from this book, including fan […]
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