Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s “Tucson and Marana Yoeme (Yaqui Indian) Communities” car-caravan cultural sites tour with Yoeme traditional culture specialist Felipe S. Molina will be held on Saturday, January 30, 2027, from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. This tour will start at the in Santa Cruz River Park, 1317 W Irvington Rd, Tucson, AZ. The requested donation is $45 per person ($36 for Old Pueblo Archaeology Center members), which supports Old Pueblo’s and Mr. Molina’s education programs about archaeology and traditional cultures.

Felipe S. Molina was taught the Indigenous language, culture, and history of the Yoemem (Yaqui Indians) by his maternal grandfather and grandmother, his grandmother’s cousin, and several elders from Tucson’s original Pascua Village. A steady stream of Yoeme migrated into southern Arizona to escape the Mexican government’s war on and deportations of the Yoeme in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

By 1940 there were about 3,000 Yoeme in Arizona, mostly living in the well-established villages of Libre (Barrio Libre) and Pascua (Barrio Loco) in Tucson, Yoem Pueblo and Wiilo Kampo in Marana, and others near Eloy, Somerton, Phoenix, and Scottsdale. Mr. Molina will lead this tour to places settled historically by Yoeme in the Tucson and Marana areas including Bwe’u Hu’upa (Big Mesquite) Village, the San Martin Church and plaza in the 39th Street Community (Barrio Libre), Pascua, Ili Hu’upa, Wiilo Kampo, and his home community of Yoem Pueblo including its San Juan Church and plaza. Participants provide their own transportation.

This tour fills up quickly, so don’t delay. Registration and prepayment are due 10 days after reservation request or by 5 pm Wednesday January 27, whichever is earlier: info@oldpueblo.org or 520-798-1201.

Flyer: 20270130(v1)Tucson&MaranaYoeme(YaquiIndian)CommunitiesFlyer
Caption: A Yaqui family home in Yoem Village, Marana, Arizona, 1936; R. B. Spicer photo courtesy of Felipe Molina