Tumamoc Tour, English

Discover Tumamoc through the content below. Each page contains audio and video files for you to learn about what has made Tumamoc such a unique place.

Introduction

Welcome to Tumamoc Hill, an oasis of desert in the heart of the city, a National Historic Landmark, a sanctuary, a beacon, a summit with panoramic views.

We come here for different reasons and with different perspectives. Some of us come here for friendship, some for solitude, some for exercise and rejuvenation. People have gathered here for thousands of years, and on this tour you’ll learn why Tumamoc Hill has attracted and inspired so many people for so long. Read more

Introduction sections

  • Shrine: Learn about the inspirational origin of the cultural anchor of Tumamoc Hill, the Luminous Mother Shrine and Altar.
  • The Boathouse: What is the the old building at the base of the Hill and why is it called the boathouse?
  • Annual Plants: Where do the colorful blooms of spring come from?
  • Tumamoca: The rare and elusive Tumamoc Globeberry, a botanical gem of the Sonoran Desert, is the namesake of the Hill.
  • Bufflegrass: The grass that is eating the Sonoran Desert, where it came from and what is being done.

Desert Lab

As you continue walking, the views of the city begin to open up. Looking east you can see the Santa Cruz River, Highway 10, and the tall buildings of downtown Tucson. To the north, the Santa Catalina Mountains, including Mt. Lemmon, rise above the Tucson basin, over 9000 feet in elevation. 

You’re also approaching the original buildings of The Desert Laboratory that sit about half way up the hill. Those buildings date back to 1903. In fact, scientific research has been going on here, on Tumamoc Hill, for over one hundred years! Read more

The Desert Lab sections

  • Spalding Plots: The longest continuously studied pieces of land in the world. See over 100 years of change in minutes.
  • Buildings: The buildings half way up the hill were built in 1906 as the Carnegie Botanical Desert Laboratory, where cutting edge science in arid lands still occurs.
  • Nurse Plants: A story about coming of age and the desert’s form of maternal care.

Ecology

You’ve seen the buildings of the Desert Lab and you’ve heard the story about how the Lab came to be. As we mentioned, the questions the early scientist at the Desert Lab were asking helped establish a new discipline of thinking - ecology.

But just what exactly is the science of ecology? As a general definition, ecology is the scientific study of how organisms – like plants, mammals and insects and bacteria –  interact with each other and with their environment. Scientists have demonstrated that all the species in a particular habitat are connected to each other, and ecologists study how they are connected. Read more

Ecology sections

Archaeology

By now you’re probably almost to the top and looking out over the Tucson Basin. We encourage you to stop, rest, and listen to the rest of this section about the archeology of Tumamoc Hill as you enjoy the sweeping views.

Imagine this landscape two thousand years ago. The Santa Cruz River flowed through the valley below, a winding ribbon with a swathe of green trees and fields – a faithful source of water in the desert. Ancient farmers used canals to draw water from the river and grow crops, and they built villages near their fields along the river valley. Read more

Archaeology sections

  • Panoramic: Get your bearings with this augmented reality view of the Tucson valley.
  • Trincheras: Over three thousand years ago people built massive rock walls around the edges of Tumamoc Hill. They are still here today.
  • Village Reconstruction

Stories from Tumamoc

In addition to the research done on Tumamoc Hill, this place has a profound meaning to many of the people that frequent its slopes. You may very likely have a connection to this mountain that you regard as special. It was the site of your first date, your first rattlesnake, a walking routine that helped nurse an injury, a hard time, or a site where you come to watch the sunrise or set. These experiences make Tumamoc an integral part of our community. Read more

Stories from Tumamoc sections

  • The Spalding Plots: Mapping 100 years of vegetation change.
  • Buildings: The buildings half way up the hill were built in 1906 as the Carnegie Botanical Desert Laboratory, where cutting edge science in arid lands still occurs.
  • Ants and Barrel Cactus: An intimate relationship between a giant cactus and a tiny ant hiding in plain sight.
  • Saguaros: Scientific effort reveals the history of a saguaro’s life.
  • Rattlesnakes: The three rattlesnakes of Tumamoc.
  • Nurse Plants: A story about coming of age and the desert’s form of maternal care.
  • Deer: A Tumamoc Mule Deer’s First Year.
  • Matched Photos: Ever wondered what Tucson looked like 100 years ago? Wonder no more and explore the power of repeat photography.
  • Sonoran Strange

The Future

Tumamoc Hill is a living laboratory, an ecological reserve owned and operated by the University of Arizona in partnership with Pima County with four thousand years of use and over 100 years of science. The UArizona College of Science serves as stewards of this site.

Tumamoc Hill represents the past, present, and, we hope, the future of Tucson. Read more

The Future sections

  • Shrine: Learn about the inspirational origin of the cultural anchor of Tumamoc Hill, the Luminous Mother Shrine and Altar.
  • The Boathouse: What is the the old building at the base of the Hill and why is it called the boathouse?
  • Annual Plants: Where do the colorful blooms of spring come from?
  • Tumamoca: The rare and elusive Tumamoc Globeberry, a botanical gem of the Sonoran Desert, is the namesake of the Hill.
  • Bufflegrass: The grass that is eating the Sonoran Desert, where it came from and what is being done.