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Southwestern archaeology.
Tucson Orgins: The history and archaeology of the Rio Nuevo Project

Current Project Status:
Archaeological excavations conducted for Rio Nuevo are nearly complete.
Excavations and historical research on the Rio Nuevo project areas are being used to design the master plan for the Tucson Origins Heritage Park.

Excavations on the Clearwater Site (near Congress Street and Grande Ave) have demonstrated that American Indians have been living and farming in the Tucson Basin for a much longer period than many archaeologists had suspected.
Artifacts and research data from Rio Nuevo archaeology is currently being used to design and build parts of the Tucson Origins Heritage Park.

Current News:

Groundbreaking for the San Agustín Mission - Tucson Origins Heritage Park to be held Saturday, June 2.

Presdio San Agustín del Tucson Heritage Park Now Open

Rio Nuevo Archaeology 2000 - 2003

A summary of the archaeological and historical data uncovered during the Rio Nuevo Archaeology Program. Several major archaeological sites were investigated, including the Tucson Presidio, the San Agustín Mission (including the historic "convento") and the ancient Clearwater site.

Click here to learn more..

 

Rio Nuevo for Teachers:

The Arizona Historical Society's "Downtown Underground" teacher's guide and lesson plans for teaching about archaeology in Tucson are available free for download.

Click here to download!

 Downtown Underground
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. © 2007 Center For Desert Archaeology unless otherwise noted.