Uploaded May 2018 | Updated September 2026, 20 minutes ago
In this Archaeology Cafe, Homer Thiel, Senior Project Director and Historical Archaeologist at Desert Archaeology, Inc, presents "Spanish Colonial and Mexican Period Life in Tucson."
Tradition says that on August 20, 1775, Regular Spanish Army Lt. Colonel Hugo O’Conor, of Irish decent, chose what is now downtown Tucson as the site of the historic Presidio San Agustin del Tucson. From that point until 1856, when the Americans took over the region following the Gadsen Purchase, Tucson was first part of the Spanish colonies, and later a piece of Mexico. This history has resulted in the rich, diverse community that we Tucsonans enjoy today. Thiel is intimately familiar with Tucson’s Spanish Colonial and Mexican Period history, and he will share highlights of what has been learned about life during this time thanks to decades of archaeological research in downtown Tucson.
In this Archaeology Cafe, Homer Thiel, Senior Project Director and Historical Archaeologist at Desert Archaeology, Inc, presents "Spanish Colonial and Mexican Period Life in Tucson."
Tradition says that on August 20, 1775, Regular Spanish Army Lt. Colonel Hugo O’Conor, of Irish decent, chose what is now downtown Tucson as the site of the historic Presidio San Agustin del Tucson. From that point until 1856, when the Americans took over the region following the Gadsen Purchase, Tucson was first part of the Spanish colonies, and later a piece of Mexico. This history has resulted in the rich, diverse community that we Tucsonans enjoy today. Thiel is intimately familiar with Tucson’s Spanish Colonial and Mexican Period history, and he will share highlights of what has been learned about life during this time thanks to decades of archaeological research in downtown Tucson.
