Tubac: Brigadoon of the Desert

Tubac Magic

No doubt about it. Tubac should be a ghost town. But it isn't. And should I make the mistake of calling it one, the defiant screams of its 800 or 1,000 (no one knows for sure) residents would be as loud as the war cries of the Indians who clashed with settlers here. But despite raids, the failure of local gold and silver mines, the confusion over land rights after the 1854 Gadsden Purchase, the disappearance of the big ranches, and the resultant almost total abandonment of the settlement, Tubac survives - a village in the high desert of southern Arizona endowed with quaintness, tranquility, and charm. Sensing these qualities, droves of artists and craftsmen migrated to Tubac in recent decades, contributing to its rebirth. Painters, sculptors, potters, furniture-makers, glassblowers, jewelers, and silk screen printers create works of art, and collectors and bargain hunters flock to Tubac to pick up treasures. Spanish-arched adobe buildings house more than 100 studios and galleries. But don't look for much else in the way of businesses. (Tubac is only three blocks long and three blocks wide.) Among its establishments is the Center of the Arts, where you can browse (September through May) among local artists'works. Performing arts concerts also are held here.

Located 45 miles south of Tucson and 20 miles north of the Mexican border, the old town dreams its dreams in the Santa Cruz Valley.

Tubac Magic

Located 45 miles south of Tucson and 20 miles north of the Mexican border, the old town dreams its dreams in the Santa Cruz Valley. Along its eastern border flows the Santa Cruz River, heavily shaded by cotton-woods and willows, and the bivouac of many winged creatures. Providing dramatic backdrops are the Santa Rita Mountains that roll to the east and the Sopori and Tumacacori ranges that lie on the west. Tubac is rich not only in natural beauty but in history. Flags - Spanish, Mexican, New Mexican Territory, Arizona, U.S. representing the governments it has known fly at the entrance to the town, and an inscription on the welcoming arch reads: "Tubac Where Art and History Meet." Its story began more than 10,000 years ago when the first prehistoric peoples lived along the banks of the Santa Cruz. Much later, between A.D. 1400 and 1500, the Hohokam settled along the river, followed by the Pimas and Papagos sometime in the 1500s. When the Spanish decided to evangelize the Southwest, the Jesuits led the way, with Father Kino visiting an Indian rancheria at the future site of Tubac in 1691. In 1726, when Jesuit missionary Father Campos baptized children near the future presidio, he was the first to reference it on a map as Tubac. Because of changes in dialect, no one can be sure what Tubac actually means, but most recently it has been interpreted as "adobe house," "round house ruins," and even "clouds in the sky."

To protect the settlers from Indians, Spanish soldiers led by Capt. Juan Tomas Belderrain built the first organized settlement, a presidio, in 1752. It was from here, in 1774, that its commander, Juan Bautista de Anza, led an expedition westward to what would later become San Francisco. Today the site of this fort is a state park, Arizona's first. While nothing of the presidio remains above the ground, you can descend into an underground exhibit and view portions of its original walls and foundations. A movie shown in the park's museum recreates those long-ago days, and exhibits add realism. Nearby, the Old Tubac Schoolhouse, built in 1885, houses the park visitors center. Across the way stands St. Ann's Church, which a Bavarian carpenter built around 1920. This is the third church on the site of the one Anza erected for his soldiers in the 1760s. The latest in Tubac's many attractions is the 4.5-mile Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail along the Santa Cruz River. The trail traces the historic route taken by Anza and his party of 240 immigrants. The trailhead is in Tumacacori National Historical Park. And to add to your visit to Tubac, each Sunday afternoon from 1 to 4, October through March, you can meet the pioneer populace of El Presidio de San Ignacio de Tubac through the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park's living history program. In chats with costumed soldiers garrisoned at the presidio, a friar, and the men and wom-en who lived on the Spanish frontier, you'll learn about the community's origins as well as the cultural, environmental, and his-torical impact of Arizona's first European settlement.

Tubac Magic

No matter how many times I return to Tubac, I look forward to wandering lei-surely down its old streets: Burruel, Ca-mino Otero, Tubac Road, Calle Iglesia. I could carry a Tubac Chamber of Com-merce Walking Tour Map, but I don't. I don't want anything to regiment or ham-per the freedom I feel here. My imagina-tion soars as I mosey around Anza Plaza, where the commander is believed to have trained his soldiers. There's the old burial ground, "The Cementary," the misspelling on the sign a throwback to older times, with some of its graves still covered byrocks to protect the resi-dents from coyotes. Best of all, I like to drop in at the art galleries and craft shops and chin with the owners. And I linger longer than I should at the outdoor display of Lee Blackwell's copper fountains. When I need a breather, I stop at Sgt. Grijalva's Restaurante Y Cantina, an eatery named for the sergeant who ac-companied Anza to San Francisco, and treat my-self to Mexican food on its willow-shaded patio. If you want to stay over-night in Tubac, try the Tubac Golf Resort. It has overnight accommodations, an excellent dining room, and a lush 18-hole golf course. In early February, Tubac sponsors a Fes-tival of the Arts with Shakespearean players, rock and roll musicians, mimes performing on the streets, and tents and booths offering merchandise and ethnic foods. In October, during Anza Days, residents decked out as Spanish soldiers and settlers parade through the streets, re-cre-ating the 1774 expedition. Artists' studios are decorated with bright paper flowers, Mexican-style. When December comes, the village glows with luminarias, and carolers sing the familiar songs of Christmas. But all year long, potters' wheels hum, painters paint, craftsmen create, and the benevolent sun shines its blessings on this little village of free spirits.

WHEN YOU GO

Tubac Presidio State Historic Park is open 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. daily. To ask about entrance fees, special events, the living history program, and the Anza Trail, write or call P.O. Box 1296, Tubac, AZ 85646; (520) 398-2252. Tumacacori National Monument is open 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. daily. For entrance fees and tour information, call (520) 398-2341. You can reach the Center for the Arts at (520) 398-2371 and the Tubac Golf Resort at (520) 398-2211. The 38th Annual Tubac Festival of the Arts will be held February 3-10, with artists and craftsmen from around the Southwest gathering to exhibit and sell their works. For more information, contact the Tubac Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 1866, Tubac, AZ 85646; (520) 398-2704.