| Expedition
Camp #15, La Canoa: The first camp site of the expedition
where it suffered its only loss of life is currently interpreted at an
Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) rest stop on I-19. The landowner
plans to include the Anza Trail within his development and to interpret
the significance of the site to the Anza expedition.
Expedition Camp
#17, Mission San Xavier del Bac: Located off I-19 along the
Santa Cruz River and a part of the O’odham reservation, Mission San Xavier
del Bac is an active parish administered by the Franciscans. Established
by Kino in 1692 at the site of an existing Piman village, by 1732 the mission
community had grown to require a full-time resident missionary to attend
to it and its visita, Tucson. San Xavier del Bac was under Franciscan
administration when the Anza expedition stopped on October 25, 1775 to
mourn the only death on the expedition and to celebrate three marriages.
Construction of the present mission church was started in 1783. The mission
has a museum.
Mission San Agustín
del Tucson: On the western side of the Santa Cruz River, across
the river from modern downtown Tucson, this location had long been occupied
by a succession of people: Archaic, Hohokam, and Piman. On the site of
a Piman village, the Spanish developed a substantial mission complex. Foundation
walls and other signs of past occupation remain sufficiently intact within
the subsurface of the site that there are plans to develop a cultural park
which would interpret the many cultures.
Presidio San Agustín
del Tucson: On the eastern side of the Santa Cruz River, now
under modern downtown Tucson, the presidio was founded in August 1775 to
replace the Tubac Presidio as the main Spanish defense of the region. When
Anza’s expedition passed through in October, the presidio had been planned
but not yet constructed. Plaques on city streets mark the location of several
corners of the old structure, and a citizen’s group would like to re-create
part of the presidio in downtown Tucson.
Santa Cruz River
Park: This partially developed river park along the Santa Cruz
River in the City of Tucson is owned by the city and managed by the Pima
County Flood Control District. It contains a multiuse trail within the
historic corridor and offers the potential for interpretation of the Anza
Trail themes.
Expedition Camp
#19, Puerto del Azotado and Los Morteros Archeological Site:
Located at the extreme north end of the Tucson Mountains near the Santa
Cruz River, this large Hohokam village site is named for the bedrock mortars
found near its center. The Anza expedition camp site, Puerto del Azotado,
was in the vicinity of Los Morteros. The site was considered in the Saguaro
National Monument Boundary study. It was recommended but not approved for
a level of designation (evaluated through the national landmark nomination
and designation process) that would ensure adequate resource protection
and interpretation. |