On Friday, March 20, 2026, join Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s “Spring Equinox Tour to Los Morteros Hohokam Village & Picture Rocks Petroglyph Sites” with archaeologist Allen Dart. This tour will be held from 8:00 to 11:30 am, departing from near Silverbell Rd and Linda Vista Blvd in Marana, Arizona. Requested donation is $45 ($36 for Old Pueblo Archaeology Center members), which supports Old Pueblo’s education programs about archaeology and traditional cultures.

The 2026 vernal equinox occurs on Friday March 20, 2026 at 7:46 AM Mountain Standard Time (2:46 pm Greenwich Mean Time). To celebrate the equinox day (but not the exact time!) and explore ancient people’s recognition of equinoxes and other calendrical events, archaeologist Allen Dart (Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s executive director) leads this tour to Los Morteros, an ancient village site that includes a Hohokam ballcourt, bedrock mortars, and other archaeological features; and to Picture Rocks, where ancient petroglyphs include a solstice and equinox calendar marker and depict dancing human-like figures, whimsical animals, and other rock images made by Hohokam Indians between 800 and 1100 CE. An equinox calendar petroglyph at the site exhibits a specific interaction with a ray of sunlight on the morning of each equinox regardless of the hour and minute of the actual celestial equinox, so participants in this tour will see that sunlight interaction with the calendar glyph unless clouds block the sunlight.

Registration and prepayment are due 10 days after reservation request or by 5 pm Wednesday March 18, whichever is earlier: info@oldpueblo.org or 520-798-1201.

Flyer: 20260320(v1)LosMorteros&PictureRocksSpringEquinoxTour

Caption: Equinox “sun dagger” on spiral petroglyph at Picture Rocks site, Pima County, Arizona, photo by Tom Herrick