Presidio Digs!

Excavations on Presdio Era Deposits in the Tucson Musem of Art Courtyard

As part of the Rio Nuevo project, the City of Tucson sponsored excavations to attempt to further understand the presidio site.  Earlier excavations on the presidio had proven that parts of the presidio wall were still preserved under the streets of modern downtown Tucson.  Rio Nuevo excavations were focused upon a parking lot that sits over the Northeast corner of the Presidio walls. This area had been partially excavated by renowned Southwestern archaeologist Emil Haury in 1954.  In addition, new construction at the Tucson Museum of Art provided a second opportunity to excavate presidio era deposits.

Excavation Goals:
     1 -  Locate the positions of the presidio walls.

     2 - Determine the condition of the adobe architecture and the
           associated presidio period deposits.

     3 - Recover presidio period artifacts that could be used to help
          research and understand the people who lived in and around
          the presidio site.  

Excavation Results:
    The northeast corner of the Tucson presidio was found intact, and in excellent condition.  A wide array of interesting and informative artifacts that had been used on the site for the past 1500 years were also found.       Click the "next page " link to learn more!