City of Tucson On-call: Preserving the Past of a Growing City

1990 to present

We have completed hundreds of projects for the City of Tucson, ranging from very large to extremely small. Much of the compliance has been in accordance with Mayor and Council Resolution 12443 and a City of Tucson Administrative Directive. Other projects have achieved compliance with the State Antiquities Act, and for those projects with federal funding, Section 106 compliance has been accomplished.

This single utility trench required nearly a month of excavation within the Tucson Presidio cemetery and drew a huge public response. Significant efforts are now being directed toward avoidance of such sensitive areas.

Beneath the modern sidewalk and street, adobe bricks of a house where Tucson's first mayor once lived were uncovered.

Most small projects add something to our understanding of local history or prehistory, while occasional projects yield dramatic results. Work in the heart of downtown Tucson has been especially productive. For example, a long utility trench in a single block contained a Hohokam pithouse, part of an adobe home where Tucson's first mayor once lived, a fragment of Tucson's Presidio wall, and over 20 burials from the Presidio cemetery.

Many City projects have included neighborhood or other planning meetings to share results of archaeological studies. Occasional projects have provided opportunities for major public programs, with many thousands of visitors observing excavations that were open throughout the day to the public and to school groups.

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