GUIDEBOOK: La Pilita has published two walking guides available at the museum. One explores east of Main Avenue and one takes the visitors west. Between them a visitor can learn about "Barrio Viejo" and its western part "El Hoyo". The booklets were published with a grant from AZ Humanities Council and the support of Godat Design.
"Barrio Viejo: A Walk Through Time, Place and Story in Tucson, Arizona", and "A Walk Through Time, Place and Story in Barrio El Hoyo/El Jardin from Prehistory, to Presidio, to Today" are available at the museum for $2.00 each. The Barrio El Hoyo/El Jardin is available at this site in pdf format for teachers and visitors. See "Walking Guide" tab.

LA PILITA CLOSED FROM MAY 1, 2012 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

Current and Upcoming Exhibits

FROM CAMINO REAL TO SOUTH MAIN
Tuesday - Saturday 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Images, Oral Histories and Videos of the life of Tucson's Main Avenue

La Pilita marks the original water source of Tucson, and today, is dedicated to telling the story of the road that came here and the people who walked it. Here are the remnants of the Hohokam, the Spaniards, the Mexican-Americans and the Barrios that shaped the culture of Tucson.
First emerged a pathway from the south tread by the earliest Indians, then it broadened to a dirt road etched with the tracks of heavy freight wagons and the hoof prints of pack animals. That dirt road became the "King's Highway" or "Camino Real" to be paved over and named the Main Avenue of Tucson.
Was the original road east of the Santa Cruz, or did it change as the river course changed? Did it turn on Mission Road which became Simpson to turn north and become what is now Main Avenue? Early maps seem to indicate that to be true. As late as 1880 Main Avenue was labeled "Calle Real".
The road is the story of people, and change, and how we came to be who we are. This exhibit tells a bit of that intricate tale with special focus on Barrio Viejo's place in the story.
The exhibit is based on the time periods outlined in "Downtown Underground: Archaeological Clues to Tucson's Past, by Kyle McKoy and sponsored by the City of Tucson and Desert Archaeology, Inc. Maps and photos help to tell the story previous to the urban renewal of the 1960's. Powerful oral histories tell the next years events from the perspective of those who lived at the time.
Here you will see the first movie shown in Tucson-all five minutes fast and silent. Another video station features oral histories told by a muralist, a decendiente, and an archaeologist.

Plan to visit the museum as well as the shrine "El Tiradito" next door. Pick a nice day, of which Tucson has many, and using one of the walking guide books stroll through the oldest Mexican American barrio in Arizona.

La Pilita gallery features historic photos of events that were Tucson 'firsts'--happening here at Carrillo Gardens or Elysian Grove.
This was the site of the first water source in Tucson, 'El Ojito', the first dog races, the first baseball and football games with the U of A teams,
the first movie, and last but not least the first public tasting of ice cream.

	1910 - FIRST AIR SHOW Charles K. Hamilton - ‘Hamilton, the Bird Man,’ as the local press dubbed him - astounded and delighted Tucsonans in February of 1910 by his two-day flying exposition at the Elysian Grove. It was the city’s first air show.
	1903 - FIRST MOTION PICTURE The first motion picture shown in Tucson was under the stars at Elysian Grove. Although the first demonstration of motion pictures in AZ was probably in about 1901 at Globe, Arizona , Emanuel Drachman introduced films here in 1903. He built a small screen in the park, set up a primitive hand-cranked projector and one evening in 1903 the images of The Great Train Robbery flickered into view. The movies in the park were so successful, Drachman installed a projector and screen in the Opera House where films could be shown to much larger audiences. The Book of Tucson Firsts, Larry Cox,1998
	1885 FIRST CURVE BALL Since, as a lad of 14, he (Emanuel Drachman) threw the first curve ball - as stories go - ever thrown in Arizona , his name was in the public eye. Tucson Citizen, December 29, 1933

Friends and Supporters of the Museum:

AZ Historical Society

Cox Communications

City of Tucson

Marshall Foundation

Tucson Association of Museums

Walnut Foundation

Southwestern Foundation