Downtown Tucson Arizona
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The first stop of our trip to Tucson was going to be the visitors center in
order to get information. Before we found a parking spot we came across the
beautiful cathedral of Saint Augustine. The cathedral features an elaborate
cast stone facade with the coat of arms of Pope Pius XI, who was the pope at
the time of the building's construction. Various indigenous desert plants are
featured in the stone designs, such as yucca and saguaro blossoms, as well as
a representation of the Mission San Xavier del Bac. |
click photo to enlarge |
The saguaro cactus can be seen just above the arch of the door. From here we
went wandering in the historic area of downtown Tucson. There is an area
called El Presidio that is Tucson's oldest neighborhood. You can pick up a
walking map of the area from the visitors center. It was here that the Irish
mercenary Hugo O'Conor established a presidio, or fort, in 1775 to help the
Spanish ward off Apaches on this far northern frontier of New Spain. The
fort is long gone, but 19th-century Mexican adobe row houses still dominate
several of the neighborhood's blocks. |
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The old Pima County Courthouse is the domed building below and was built
in 1928. The building still serves as a courthouse for lower level state
criminal matters as well as housing the offices of the Pima County
Treasurer and Recorder. |
click photo to enlarge |
click photo to enlarge |
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