Consider the taco, that favorite treat, a staple of Mexican and Mexican American cooking and an old standby on an Arizonan’s plate. The corn in the tortilla comes from Mexico, the cheese from the Sahara, the lettuce from Egypt, the onion from Syria, the tomatoes from South America, the chicken from Indochina, the beef from the steppes of Eurasia. The foods of Arizona speak to the many cultures, native and newcomer, that make up our state. Join Gregory McNamee, the…

Father Kino is one of two Arizonans recognized in the U. S. Capitol Hall of Heroes.  The Padre was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, map maker, explorer, rancher, and friend to the Indians of the Pimería Alta.  Journeying on horseback or foot, multiple explorations of the Pimería Alta were made by the padre, resulting in the first detailed map of the area.  He proved Baja California was not an island.  He traveled trails mostly unknown to outsiders through inhabited territory of…

Many neuroscientists study music to elucidate mysteries of the brain. Why is music such a rich resource?  Not only can scientists physically track the process of learning music as different areas of the brain light up, they can trace music’s powerful effect on our emotions, muscles and memory.  The benefits of music span well beyond entertainment. and many believe music will be the healing art of the future.  Accumulating data about our “brain on music” unmistakably supports how important, positive…

The story of our state is not complete without music. This program will focus on the various genres of music that reflected the milieu and personalities of our various immigrants.  Using musical instruments and stories, audience members will be presented an artistic tableau of our past: heroes, villains, and the immigrants who passed through and settled in Arizona. For example, Coronado’s priests unrolled musical missal leaves during Mass to facilitate finding the seven cities of gold. The Indigenous tribes he…

Written in Thread: Arizona Women’s History preserved in their Quilts traces the history of Arizona through women who recorded pieces of their lives in their needlework.  The colorful patterns of women’s quilts added a spot of brightness to their homes and their lives. They also celebrated and recorded special events with their quilts. Beginning with Mexican women of the 1860s, through Hopi women of the 1990s, this lecture introduces some of the women who pioneered Arizona through the quilts they…

In many Southwestern matrifocal cultures, Indigenous women’s lives are modeled after female heroes and sacred women who exemplify and express courage and kinship values. Among some tribal cultures, rites of passage celebrate female creativity and the transformative nature of women, hence there was not a need for the concept of feminism. Nevertheless, Indigenous women’s lives remain invisible and stereotyped by Hollywood. This talk presents how Indigenous women have contributed in significant ways, not only to their tribal nations, but also…

Royce Manuel (Akimel O’odham) best describes his work through the “Tools of Yesterday” using plant fiber, primitive bows & arrows, knapping stone, and making agave plant cordage. As a tribal and cultural educator and member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Royce and Debbie specializes in the revival and teaching of artistic traditions while renewing and protecting indigenous knowledge for generations to come. Debbie’s traditional and bi-cultural lifestyles, provides valuable insight and practices in both urban and tribal community…

The Empire Ranch, built by Walter Vail and family, was one of the most financially successful and long-lived cattle enterprises in Arizona. For over 140 years, the owners of the Empire wisely managed its natural resources – soils, waters, and vegetation in the Cienega Valley. Today those grasslands are some of the richest and most stunningly beautiful in this state. This talk will present the story of how those ranchers survived flood, drought, and economic challenges and how the Bureau…