Did you survive the first time? Then come back for more! After a wildly popular Surviving in the Desert workshop, Jon Helleson of Southwest Survival returns to the Presidio for a deeper dive into primitive skills.

In this hands-on class, you’ll carve your own traditional fire-by-friction set and learn how to coax flame from wood using only natural materials and ancient techniques. Jon will guide you step-by-step through the process, blending practical survival knowledge with a deep respect for ancestral ways.

Jack's back! Join us as we welcome Jack Lasseter, well known local orator and historian, to share stories about the animals who share this land with us. Arizona has the greatest amount of diversity in natural terrain of probably anywhere in the United States, with its mountains, canyons, Sonoran Desert, grasslands, riparian areas, forests, lakes, meadows, the Petrified Forest, the Painted Desert, Sunset Crater, Meteor Crater, the buttes, mesas and fabulous vistas of Monument Valley and Navajo Land, and of course the Grand Canyon. Along with that diversity of habitat, it also has the greatest variety of wildlife of anywhere in the U.S.

Your ticket includes admission to the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and Museum, light refreshments and lecture. Although, this isn’t your typical "lecture"- free from Powerpoint, sit back relax and enjoy a story about our state.

Saturday,December 20 @ 2:00 pm

Feliz Navidad! Buon Natale! Joyeux

Noel! Merry Christmas! Treat yourself

to an afternoon of gentle harmonies

and soaring, powerful melodies, as

the Christmas Tenors take you on a

round-the-world musical journey

filled with Christmas classics!

Close out the year with the unforgettable music of Ted Ramirez, Tucson’s official folksinger, live at the Tubac Presidio. Ted’s songs honor the heritage of the Southwest, blending original ballads with beloved folk traditions. His warm voice and storytelling spirit transport audiences through the landscapes, history, and cultures of our borderlands.

This holiday season, gather in the Presidio’s historic setting for an afternoon of music that uplifts, inspires, and celebrates community. It’s the perfect way to slow down and savor the beauty of the season with friends, family, and neighbors.

Your ticket includes concert, park admission, refreshments and light bites.

Tucson author Melani Martinez shares the story of her family's 70-year-old tamal and tortilla factory through her memoir The Molino, revealing how food anchors community and preserves cultural identity in the desert borderlands. Set in Tucson's historic Barrio Presidio, this moving exploration follows three generations of a family business and examines the heartbreaking effects of gentrification on longstanding community institutions. A compelling story of belonging, transformation, and the sacred work of nourishing others in Southern Arizona's changing landscape. 

Melani “Mele” Martinez is a writer and educator from Tucson, Arizona whose work explores the intersections of memory and cultural identity. Her debut memoir, The Molino (UA Press 2024), is a 2025 Int'l Latino Book Award Honorable Mention. The Molino blends family history with the shifting cultural landscape of Tucson’s barrios, honoring her family’s beloved tamal/tortilla factory and lunch counter, El Rapido, that served Tucson customers for nearly 70 years. Melani holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction and teaches in the Writing Program at the University of Arizona, where she designs courses that engage borderlands history, folkart, poetics, and storytelling.

Join public historian Alex La Pierre for an illuminating presentation that uncovers the deep cultural currents flowing from North Africa and the Islamic world into Spanish colonial experience in the Americas.

This fascinating talk traces how Moorish architectural, linguistic, and artistic traditions shaped the landscapes and legacies of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, revealing a rich tapestry of interconnected histories that continue to influence the region today.

Jack's back! Join us as we welcome Jack Lasseter, well known local orator and historian. The history of the West is not just the story of men. It is the story of men and women. This is Jack's first talk on the fascinating story of some of the women on the Arizona frontier, and a tough and hardy bunch they were. But they would bring civilization to this land. He focuses on three, an Apache woman, a Spanish woman and a New England woman. They have three different stories but all poignant to the development of Arizona. Others include Chinese, African-American, Jewish, Mormon, and ranch women. Also there are governors, judges, a bridesmaid of Eleanor Roosevelt, the Captain of the "Arizona Navy", the first territorial historian, a famous painter and architect, and the last stagecoach robber.

Your ticket includes admission to the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and Museum, light refreshments and lecture. Although, this isn’t your typical "lecture"- free from Powerpoint, sit back relax and enjoy a story that takes you back in time.

Start the new year with an inspiring afternoon of music at the Tubac Presidio, featuring Ted Ramirez, Tucson’s official folksinger. Through heartfelt ballads and timeless folk traditions, Ted brings the stories, landscapes, and spirit of the Southwest to life. His performances are a journey through history and culture, filled with warmth, humor, and soul.

Join us in the Presidio’s historic setting for this special concert that invites reflection, joy, and community connection as we step into 2026. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to Ted’s music, his songs will leave you with a deeper sense of place and belonging.

Your ticket includes concert, park admission, refreshments and light bites.

Jack's back! Join us as we welcome Jack Lasseter, well known local orator and historian, as he shares the epic story of the Buffalo soldiers out West, Black troopers in the U.S. Army after the Civil War, and their contribution during the Indian Wars.

Although we did not see them in the Western movies of our youth, they composed fully 10% of the entire U.S. Army and 20% of the cavalry in that Western army. Their story is a fascinating story, much of which occurs here in the Southwest, here in Arizona. It is a truly stirring story of American patriots that we should never forget.

Your ticket includes admission to the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and Museum, light refreshments and lecture. Although, this isn’t your typical "lecture"- free from Powerpoint, sit back relax and enjoy a story that takes you back in time.