- This event has passed.
Event Navigation
Archaeology Café – Tucson Underground. Knowledge seekers of every kind are welcome at Archaeology Café, where experts share their latest research on Tucson’s deep and diverse history in a jargon-free zone. On Tuesday, April 3, 2018, historical archaeologist Homer Thiel will help café attendees become better acquainted with Spanish Colonial and Mexican Period Life in Tucson.
Tradition says that on August 20, 1775, Regular Spanish Army Lt. Colonel Hugo O’Conor, of Irish decent, chose what is now downtown Tucson as the site of the historic Presidio San Agustin del Tucson. From that point until 1856, when the Americans took over the region following the Gadsen Purchase, Tucson was first part of the Spanish colonies, and later a piece of Mexico. This history has resulted in the rich, diverse community that we Tucsonans enjoy today. Thiel is intimately familiar with Tucson’s Spanish Colonial and Mexican Period history, and he will share highlights of what has been learned about life during this time thanks to decades of archaeological research in downtown Tucson.
J. Homer Thiel, M.A., is Senior Project Director and Historical Archaeologist at Desert Archaeology, Inc. His interest in historical archaeology developed when his father plowed up an early 1900s dump on the family farm in Michigan. During his career, he has analyzed over 500,000 artifacts and examined thousands of documents. Information gleaned from these sources has revealed the healthcare concerns, diet, ethnically linked purchasing patterns, and mortuary practices of historical residents of southern Arizona.
This Archaeology Café is held at The Loft Cinema (3233 E. Speedway Blvd) in theatre 1, which can accommodate up to 375 guests. You can pick up your free tickets from The Loft Cinema box office anytime the day of the Café. (Limit two tickets per person.)
Archaeology Café is free. Guests are encouraged to purchase their own refreshments from The Loft’s impressive concession bar. Offerings include tamales, pizza, wraps, sandwiches, snacks, and a great selection of local beers and wines.
Videos of each Café will be available at www.archaeologysouthwest.org/video.
Questions? Visit us online at www.archaeologycafe.org or call us at 520-882-6946 ext. 23.
This program is made possible, in part, by The Smith Living Trust and Arizona Humanities.
