“ENCORE” Tucson and Marana Yoeme (Yaqui Indian) Communities

Pascua Yoeme community circa 1938, photograph courtesy of the Southwest Center, The University of Arizona

On Saturday, February 25, 2017, from 8 am to noon, Old Pueblo Archaeology Center will lead a car-caravan cultural sites tour with Yoeme historian Felipe S. Molina, starting at Bwe’u Hu’upa (Big Mesquite) site, 1317 W. Irvington Road, Tucson (on south side of Irvington just west of the Santa Cruz River). This is an encore opportunity for those who didn’t get their reservations requests in quickly enough for the February 11 “Yoeme Communities” tour. 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 1890s and early 1900s. 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 Village, the San Martin Church and plaza in the 39th Community (Barrio Libre), Pascua, Ili Hu’upa, Wiilo Kampo, and his home community of Yoem Pueblo including its San Juan Church and plaza.
Tour fee is $25 ($20 for Old Pueblo Archaeology Center and Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary members). Reservations and prepayment required by Wednesday February 8: 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org.