Tubac Arizona Information and History

The quaint village of Tubac calls itself "a place where art and history meet ".  Just 15 miles south of Green Valley, its streets are filled with galleries, artists' studios , shops and boutiques and charming restaurants .  Tubac has numerous choices for Hotel, Bed & Breakfast and Guest Ranch Accomodations in and around the area .  It claims the distinction of being the first European settlement in the state, as well as having the first school and the first state park.

As Arizona’s first European settlement, the village of Tubac has seen its share of history and change. First settled in 1752 when Spanish soldiers built a presidio, Tubac also bears evidence of mammoth hunters, who preceded the O’odham peoples (formerly known as the Pimas and Papagos).  Five flags have flown over the town. Tubac has been an Indian community, a Spanish Colony, part of the New Mexico Territory, a Mexican community and an Arizona Territory.

Today, art and history are juxtaposed amid the stunning beauty in Santa Cruz County. By 1930, after years of conflict over the land, the town had virtually vanished. In the 1940s, the late painter Dale Nichols visualized an art colony and started a school in 1948. Fascinated with the seclusion and simplicity in the desert landscapes, Nichols painted in a Tubac studio for six years.  Other artists came to Tubac and helped promote the town by showing their works to interested passers-by. In the early days, tourists who traveled from Tucson to Nogales often stopped for refreshments in Tubac, and the artists found that offering a cool drink was a necessity in developing their businesses.

Nichols returned in the late 80s at the age of 86 with more visions of opportunities. The village had grown from his sowing of seeds into a crop of shops. Today, it is much more than a stop for water. It has come into its own with an eclectic mix of more than 80 shops, galleries and restaurants. Set in a mercado atmosphere, the town invites visitors to stroll through the shops in leisurely fashion.

Painters, potters, sculptors and carvers are among the many artists who make their home in the village and they produce works in every medium. Works by nationally and internationally known artists fill the galleries and bring national acclaim to the area and its humble beginnings.

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Each year, beginning in February, a host of colorful festivals and fairs bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to Tubac. The first of these is the annual Tubac Festival of the Arts. Here, famous artists from around the country descend on Tubac for the celebration of the arts in every form. For more than 40 years the festival has drawn visitors to the village. The nine-day festival draws more than 150,000 visitors from around the globe with internationally acclaimed artists and works in all media.

March brings the annual Tubac Art Walk, an artistic promenade through the historic streets of Tubac. Some of the artists demonstrate their craft, creating works from a dab of paint, a pile of clay or a slab of metal or marble.

Fall’s Anza Days commemorates the historic travels of Juan Bautista de Anza, the area’s leader in the 1700s who led an expedition to find an overland route to the San Francisco Bay area. Each year, participants dress in period costume and re-create the start of Anza’s 1,200-mile journey. A local scholar leads the reenactment on horseback. Beginning at nearby Tumacacori National Historic Park, trekkers hike four and a half miles along the Santa Cruz River to the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. Games for children and a re-created Spanish Colonial village are among the highlights of the weekend.

Tubac: An Art Experience brings art up close and personal to the village. During this November event, artists create works right before visitors’ eyes throughout the weekend that celebrates the artistic process. Local musicians entertain guests while artists provide demonstrations of their works that capture their imagination.

December’s Luminaria Nights/Fiesta Navidad rounds out the year with a holiday celebration that glows in the light of luminarias. The event honors the spirit of giving with two nights of caroling, roving musicians, live reindeer and refreshments at many of the shops. Each year, the historic buildings of Tubac glow in the soft light of these traditional candle-fueled luminarias.  

Year-round at the Tubac Presidio State Historic park, a museum, underground archaeology displays and living history demonstrations invite the public to learn about Tubac’s rich tapestry of history. The award-winning group, Los Tubaqueños perform on weekends, giving visitors a sense of what life was like in the days as a rustic Spanish settlement. It was at the presidio that conflicts of the Old West raged and soldiers protected the area. A perfect hub to enjoy southern Arizona’s historic character and scenic beauty, Tubac offers diverse and unique lodging choices, from resorts to bed-and-breakfast inns to guest ranches.

With all of it's fascinating history and diversity it is definitely worth a trip to Tubac!  

 

Tubac's History  

Prehistoric: It is believed that the Tubac area has been inhabited over 11,000 years. First to come were the Elephant Hunters, who hunted in the dense Arizona forests and along numerous lakes and streams for the huge elephant-like mammoth. The Hohokam lived in the area between 300-1500 A.D., followed by the Pima and native O'odham, who greeted the Spanish.

Spanish Colonial : Jesuit missionary Father Francisco Eusebio Kino entered the Santa Cruz Valley in 1691.  Perhaps Tubac's most famous person was soldier and explorer Capt. Juan Bautista de Anza II. During his tenure at Tubac (1760-1776), Anza built the chapel of Santa Gertrudis, the foundations of which lie beneath today's St. Ann's Church. Anza's second expedition to the Pacific coast departed from Tubac October 23, 1775. It included approximately 300 soldiers and colonists, and culminated with the founding of San Francisco, converting the natives, building missions, ranches and farms. By 1732 Tubac was a visita of Mission Guevavi and a mission farm and ranch by 1738.

The Pima Revolt of 1751, resulting from a half-century of Spanish domination, caused widespread destruction. In 1752, Spanish troops defeated an army of 2,000 Piman warriors and established the Presidio of San Ignacio de Tubac. Garrisoned with fifty troops and officers, it was commanded by Capt. Juan Thomas de Belderrain.

Apaches Indians, recent migrants, preyed upon Tubac and the surrounding area. The Jesuits were expelled from Spanish possessions in 1767 and replaced by the Franciscans. By 1771, the now-friendly Pimans, were moved from Guevavi to Mission Tumacacori for easier protection.

When the Tubac Presidio was moved to Tucson in 1776, the Tubac area was left unprotected. Spain reactivated the presidio in 1787, renamed it El Real Presidio de San Rafael, and ironically recruited a company of Pima Indians who served with distinction.

Mexican Colonial: Independence from Spain in 1821, brought Tubac under Mexican rule. The U.S.-Mexican War (1846-1848) had little effect on Tubac until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Land north of the Gila River was ceded to the U.S., forming the New Mexico Territory. This did not include Tubac, but Mexican troops were recalled anyway. Forty-niners pasting Tubac enroute to California, enticed away even more residents.

Arizona Territorial: A ghost town when the U.S. took possession after the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, Tubac returned to life in 1856. Charles Poston and others established the Sonora Exploring and Mining Company in the old presidio ruins. Soon the population topped 1,000; new businesses, regular Butterfield Stage service, and The Weekly Arizonian newspaper attracted the elite to Tubac.

By 1860 the mining boom had faded, Civil War recalled Federal Troops and Apache raiding intensified. August 1, 1861, Confederate Troops seized Arizona only to lose it to the Union a few months later. Lincoln declared Arizona a Territory, February 20, 1863.

T. Lillie Mercer, Sabino Otero and others established the Tubac town site in 1882, built the Tubac School in 1885, and they organized the Tubac Scouts in 1866 to fight the Apaches. Geronimo surrender in September, bringing peace to Tubac at long last!

Statehood: On February 14, 1912, Arizona was admitted to the Union. Homesteaders, granted land during the Arizona Territorial period, lost it in the Baca Float #3 land dispute. Evicted from their land by 1917, Tubacans were forced to relocate to today's "Historic District."   St. Ann's Church was rebuilt for the third time in 1920 and life in Tubac serene.

In 1948, artist Dale Nichols arrived establishing the Artists School. Since that time, Tubac has become a center for art and history . The Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, was established in 1959 and the Museum in 1964. The first Tubac Festival of the Arts took place in 1960, with the Tubac Center of the Arts opening in 1972.

 

INTERESTING POINTS

Tubac Name Origin: Over the years, there have been many translations of the name Tubac. They include: "where the water comes out," "gray adobe house," "black water," and even "rotten." According to Henry Dobyns in "Tubac Through Four Centuries.", the original Piman place name for Tubac may be written Tchoowaka in English. More recently Dave Shaul, a noted Pima linguist, has determined that the Pima language does not include the words "tubac" or "bac." However, it does include: "tu" = "black"; and "ba'a" = "pool of water"; also the word "tuva" = "where it is low" or "low area," which is possibly a more accurate translation .

5 Cultures form Tubac

Tubac has been home to at least five distinct cultures: the Hohokam between 300 and 1400 AD; the Tohono O'odham ("Desert People" called Papago by the Spanish) arrived sometime in the 1500's; the Spaniards arrived with Father Campos in 1726, according to a baptismal record; Mexico claimed it during the 1821 Mexican War of Independence; and it was bought by the United States under the 1853 Gadsden Purchase.

The History Portion by this information was written by Mary Bingham of the Tubac Historical Society.

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