The Presidio Museum offers a variety of presentations to adult groups in the Tucson area that allow attendees to experience our unique history and culture.
Booking a Presentation: The fee for each of these presentations is $125 for non-profits, and $150 for for-profit organizations. Please contact April Bourie at aprilb@TucsonPresidio.com to book a presentation.
Presidio San Agustín del Tucson History and Culture
Jean Baxter, a professional storyteller, will come to your establishment in period clothing from the early 1800s and give a 45 minute presentation on the history of the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson. The presentation also covers why this valley was significant for the Spanish as well as the local O’odham people and how the two settlements developed into the multi-cultural community of Tucson we know today.
About Jean Baxter
Jean Baxter spent the last 25 years of her career as a reading teacher for the Flowing Wells School District and many years as a staff development specialist and teacher trainer. Before that, she worked for the Department of Defense based in Okinawa and Germany. In her retirement, she became a professional storyteller specializing in historically-based presentations. She has two Master’s degrees in Education (Reading and Administration) from the University of Arizona.
Jean has been on the Tucson Presidio Trust Board since 2011, and as Vice President for Education, she has developed the bulk of the children’s educational programming now offered at the Presidio. She was awarded a Historic Preservation Award from the Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission. She also volunteers as a regular docent.
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Territorial Tucson Women (1854-1912)
Jane Battaglia will come to your event in period costume from the 1860’s and give a 45 minute presentation. Her talk will feature three women from Territorial Tucson (1854 -1912):
**Soledad Jacome, a (former) Mexican seamstress and single mother
**Maria Wakefield Fish, the first trained schoolteacher in Tucson and the first white woman to be
married here.
**Lola Cole Smith, wife of the quartermaster at Fort Lowell, circa 1880.
The presentation will contain information about their lives as well as life in Tucson at this time. It, also, will be linked to things an attendee can see in Tucson right now.
About Jane Battaglia
Jane is currently a Docent at Ft Lowell Museum in Tucson. She has, also been a Docent at the Arizona Historical Society Museum where she gave tours and participated in cemetery re-enactments and special events. Frequently, Jane is involved in The Presidio Museum’s Living History events. She is a Certified Interpretive Guide. Prior to moving to Tucson full-time several years ago, Jane worked for the Aspen Historical Society museum at The Holden Marolt Ranching and Mining museum. She, also, was a Docent at the Wheeler Stallard House museum, headquarters of the Aspen Historical society.
When not involved in historic pursuits, Jane is a tour guide at the Tucson Desert Art museum. She is, also, a member of the Santa Catalina Volunteer patrol and an avid hiker. Jane is also a dedicated gardener, known for her annual tomato crop as well as her figs. She grows lavender which she then cuts, dries and makes sachets for friends and neighbors.
A native New Yorker originally, Jane has lived in Tucson since the late 1980’s – first as a snow bird and then as a permanent resident. She, her husband and two cats reside in the Catalina Foothills.
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Mainly Murals PowerPoint
The Mainly Murals PowerPoint Presentation is conducted by Presidio Museum Tour Guide Dorothy Yanez, who also leads this as an in-person tour. This presentation features many of the murals found on the north side of the downtown Tucson area. Attendees see images of the murals and also learn about the history and many of the artists’ inspirations behind the pieces. This presentation lasts 45 minutes to an hour.
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Public Art & Murals PowerPoint
The Public Art & Murals PowerPoint Presentation is conducted by Presidio Museum Tour Guide Dorothy Yanez, who also leads this as an in-person tour. This presentation can be a continuation of the Mainly Murals presentation or can stand on its own. The Public Art and Murals presentation features many public art pieces, murals, and structures on the south side of the downtown Tucson area. Attendees see images of public art pieces and murals and also learn about the history and many of the artists’ inspirations behind the pieces. This presentation lasts 45 minutes to an hour.
About Dorothy Yanez
Dorothy Yanez is a Tour Guide for the Tucson Presidio Museum. She is a native Tucsonan who had her career with the City of Tucson while graduating from the University of Phoenix with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management in 1997. After retirement from the City of Tucson, Dorothy followed her passion for Tucson’s history by writing the book Presidio San Agustin del Tucson: A View of Early Tucson and continues her career in the hospitality industry. She keeps her interest in Tucson current by researching public art, murals and structures in the downtown Tucson area.
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History of the Santa Cruz River in Tucson
This presentation is conducted by Presidio Museum Board Member and Tour Guide Mauro Trejo. Learn about the history of the Santa Cruz River in Tucson and how, for millenia, it provided an oasis for life in the Tucson Basin. In this talk we discuss how the river shaped our city and the people and events that led to its ultimate demise.
Tucson History and Culture
The Tucson Basin is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in North America. In this talk you’ll learn why for over 4,000 years, the Hohokam, Tohono O’odham, Apache, Spanish, Mexican and American civilizations have called this place home and who the people and events were that helped shape Tucson. The presentation is conducted by Presidio Museum Board Member and Tour Guide Mauro Trejo.
About Mauro Trejo
Mauro is a 7th-generation Tucsonan descending from Elias’s and Gallegos. Mauro has a passion for local history and has poured over the Tucson “classics” to learn as much as possible. Before becoming a Presidio Trust Board Member he volunteered as a docent and Turquoise Trail tour guide (which he still does), becoming one of our most knowledgeable guides and presenters.