Siquieros-Jácome House North and Center Rooms
Juan Siquieros and Soledad Jácome constructed this house in the late 1860s and 1870s of adobe. It is a classic “Sonoran row house,” built close to the street and constructed to allow for good ventilation. It was later connected to the two rooms south of it to create the building you see today, reflecting the need to use whatever materials were available to build homes in the mid- to late-1800s. Soledad Jácome lived in the home from 1866-1911, and in the 1870s, she became a single mother with four daughters to raise. The historical record does not say what happened to her husband. She became a seamstress to support her family. The home was last occupied in 1994, and it was restored in 2006.This Sonoran row house has typical design features of that architectural style: adobe brick walls, a flat roof with saguaro ribs laid over beams, with mud packed on top; high ceilings; originally a tamped earthen floor; a corner fireplace; and doors that were opposite each other, allowing air to circulate through. Each room features different ceiling and floor materials.The north room of the house was built first. In the early 1870s, two more rooms were built to the south, and they were eventually connected to the north room. After the 1880 railroad arrival, milled wood floors were installed throughout the house. Salvaged planking from the original house can still be seen in the north room. Today, exhibits on soldier uniforms and a miniature creation of what a portion of the original presidio would have looked like are included in this room in addition to a video showing our Garrison conducting Spanish military drills and firing a replica of the cannon used at the Presidio.The center room had pieces of freight crates used for the ceiling, some with painted addresses, which you can still see today on the north end of the room before entering the north room. The center room's flooring is made of reproduced planking similar to that in the north room.Head to the south room of the row house to hear more about the home.
Siquieros-Jácome House South
The south room reflects building materials from the Mexican period (mid 1800’s), made with adobe bricks and white washed stucco. The floor is packed dirt and the ceiling is covered by a manta of muslin cloth used to stop moisture and dirt from falling. Pieces of manta still clung to the ceiling at the time of restoration in 2006.The exhibits in this room include artifacts found during the excavation of the parking lot that was located where the museum is today and displays of chocolate and cochineal dye of value to the Spanish economy.Go out the back door of the house to continue your tour.
Territorial Courtyard
Welcome to the Territorial Courtyard. Courtyards or patios like this one were an extension of the home during the pre-air conditioning Territorial period (1854-1912). They served as a place for sleeping on hot nights and were the gathering place for the family. Wells, outhouses, and gardens were also found there. The pitched tin roof is a later 20th-century addition to the house, reflecting the American style. The original roof would have been flat.The Black Mission fig tree you see in front of you is believed to either have been planted here at the turn of the 20th century or perhaps sprouted from the seed of an earlier tree. Archaeologists found dried figs when excavating as well as remains of an 1880’s outhouse pit, which suggests how long this fig tree has grown here. The tree may be descended from a fig tree brought by early Spaniards. In 2021, The Arizona Tree Council awarded the tree “Champion Tree” status because of its history, size, and prominence.The plants growing in Soledad's garden in the south end of the courtyard are a reflection of what you may have found in the patio gardens of the Sonoran row houses of Tucson during the Territorial era. With the arrival of the railroad and new immigrants to the town, new plants began to arrive and take root such as the jujube tree or Tombstone rose growing here in the courtyard, and you would have also found the fruit trees, like the fig or orange, brought by the Jesuits missionaries to the region. In addition to edible and fruit-bearing plants, herbs for both cooking and medicinal purposes would have also been present for families like the Jacomes to rely upon.Across from Soledad's Garden is our Adobe Wall display. Adobe is dirt, straw, and water molded and sun-dried. This wall segment outside of the rear of the house is the remnant of a kitchen wall from the original house. It demonstrates what happens to an unprotected wall when it is exposed to water.In the corner is a mural depicting the building of the Presidio walls along with bricks of the original Presidio. This exhibit stood in the Old Pima County Courthouse for years before the building was renovated.Just east of the Adobe Wall is the Zaguán, an outdoor breezeway that provided shade for saddling horses and rigging carriages. This structure is not original, but was added on as a part of the restoration.Head up the steps to continue your tour.
Grain Mill (Molino), Warehouse (Almacén) & Mural
You have now entered the Presidio Parade Grounds, made to look like the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson during its height of occupation. This grain mill, or molino, made of two millstones, was used by farmers who grew their wheat on the Santa Cruz River floodplain. Mules walked in circles around the mill.On your way up the steps you pass the Presidio's warehouse (almacén), on the right. Each Presidio had a warehouse where goods were stockpiled. Inhabitants of the fort had to store all their own food without the use of refrigerators. Dry goods and food were stored inside this cool warehouse.Across the way is a line of re-created adobe bricks (ladrillos de adobe) stacked as they would have been for use on the next building project. Dwellings were built against the interior of the walls. Only the chapel and commanding officer’s quarters were stuccoed and white washed. The Presidio was in a constant state of construction and change, with bricks always ready for the next project.The large mural depicts the interior of the Presidio, which was nearly 11 acres and 650 feet long on each side. Note the chapel, an important part of Spanish life, original Presidio bells still reside in Tucson. An interesting tidbit about this mural is that the painter, Bill Singleton, used some of the museum's volunteers as models for the people in the mural.Looking from left to right at the mural, the first thing you see is the Chapel of San Agustín, which was located inside the east wall of the fort. This small church had a bell mounted above the door, another bell hung on a wooden stand. Murals adorned the interior walls. Statues and paintings of saints were found at the main altar, sacristy, and in the Chapel of the Virgin, with the latter dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Pedro Antonio de Arriquibar served as the chaplain from 1796 until his death in 1820. The chapel was torn down, probably in the early 1860s, after the structure deteriorated.The Presidio averaged 60 to 100 resident soldiers. The soldier on the left, standing in a group of three, is a Catalonia Volunteer. A light infantry company, the Volunteers, augmented the frontier forces. For a short period, the Company garrisoned at the Presidio. The center soldier is a Dragoon, a mounted infantryman. Dragoons carried swords, pistols, and muskets. The Dragoon of Spain wore a scarlet coat with blue cuffs and collar. The soldier on the right is a Presidial soldier. This soldier, a heavy cavalryman, wore a deerskin vest (cuera) used as armor, carried a shield, a brace of pistols, a carbine or musket, a sword, and a lance.The local O’odham people who lived in the nearby villages at the base of Sentinel Peak frequently traded wood, pottery, animals, and other items at the Presidio for cloth, sewing goods, and tools.Oxen were used to drag timbers and haul supplies. The Presidio was dependent on oxen, mules, and horses for transportation. Mounted soldiers are on the far right. Sergeant Francisco Marquez is depicted with lance and shield. He had African ancestry.Walk to the covered ramada area with the domed outdoor oven (horno) and cooking area to learn about cooking and residences in the Presidio.
Comal, Horno, Family Residence, and Soldier's Barracks
Food was generally prepared outdoors. The griddle, or comal is for cooking tortillas and other foods. A fire was built underneath to heat the surface for cooking. Originally, the comal was build low on the ground on rocks, women knelt to cook. This one is higher to accomodate our modern-day volunteers!The horno or oven is for baking. Presidio women would get together once a week and bake bread for their families. The Presidio is known to have had at least three hornos. A fire is built inside and the adobe walls heat up. When the oven is hot to the touch, the coals are removed and loaves of bread are put directly on the floor of the oven. Two or three batches can be made during the day before the horno cools.Behind the comal are living quarters of both a soldier with a family (on the left) and the soldier's barracks (on the right). In the family quarters, the woman is making a Spanish hot chocolate drink. She is using a special pitcher or chocolatero and a molinillo (a wooden whisk) to create the frothy concoction. A spinning wheel was often used to make thread for weaving and sewing.On the right is a soldier’s barracks for bachelor soldiers. They hung their uniforms on pegs on the wall and also stored their weapons here. They also ate at a communal table. Accounts say that in 1797 the Presidio housed 47 soldiers with wives and children, 24 soldiers with wives, and 29 single soldiers. On one of the barracks bed is a cuera. It is made of seven layers of deer skin and was worn as protection from arrows. Try it on to see how heavy it is. Can you imagine wearing this in July in Tucson?Continue to the northeast corner of the Presidio Enclosure with its high walls and the ramparts to continue your tour.
Northeast Corner of Presidio Enclosure
The 20-foot high walls you see here on the northeast corner of the Presidio are connected with ramparts. In the original Presidio, these were located on both the northeast and southwest corners. The tall walls offered a clear field of fire the length of the wall. From archaeological digs, and historic documentation, we know the exact height and width of the walls and bricks.To the right of the northeast corner, you will see the Powder Magazine (Casa Mata). Gunpowder and ammunition, were stored in a thick-walled building. The Presidio had cannon balls, musket balls, gunflints, lead bars and bullet molds in storage.Under the tower is a reproduction of a Presidio cannon. This type of cannon is the first mentioned in a revista (inspection) of the Presidio in 1782. Four 4 pound bronze cannons stood in the two towers and guarded the fort. The Presidio cannon was used in a battle during an Apache attack in 1782.While excavating the Presidio site, archaeologists found a pithouse occupied by pre-Hohokam farmers, which you can see today in front of the northeast corner. The pithouse is about 2,000 years old. Beneath the modern-day protective ramada, you can see the floor of the dwelling. Small postholes show where poles were placed and bent to form a dome-shaped roof. Plant material and mud covered the outside of the structure. Villages of these pithouses were scattered across the Santa Cruz River floodplain, with farmers irrigating fields of maize (corn) and other crops. You are welcome to visit the Early People's Park around the corner past the forge.The original Presidio's blacksmith used a three-foot-tall iron meteorite as an anvil. It was found in nearby mountains and hauled to the Presidio to be used by the blacksmiths.To the left of the forge is the Milpita (small farm garden) which has seasonal crops such as cotton, grapes and squash.Head around the corner to the right to vist the Early People's Park.
Early People's Park
The Early People's Park shows a small portion of the lives of the indigenous people who lived in the Tucson area between 2100 BCE to 50 CE and whose descendants still live in Tucson today. The replica pithouse was built with materials that were harvested locally mostly using traditional stone tools. Feel free to enter the replica pithouse and grind some seeds using the mano and metate.The garden represents plants that were flood-farmed along the banks of the Santa Cruz River and include the traditional Three Sisters corn, beans, and squash, along with the Fourth Sister, amaranth.Thank you for visiting the Presidio Museum! We invite you learn more about the museum and its events by visiting our website at TucsonPresidio.com.Make sure to ask about becoming a member when you exit through the Gift Shop.
