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An annual four-day event celebrating mariachi music and folklorico dance. International stars and local students alike give performances.
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This annual two-day event showcases traditional dancing from a number of different regional tribes. Booths offer crafts and jewelry for sale, as well as food and beverages.
The "White Dove of the Desert" is a Tucson mission. Pure white and pristine against a hot desert backdrop, and still heady inside its elaborately colored and muraled interior from centuries of supplication, the Mission San Xavier del Bac was finished in 1797 when Arizona was still New Spain. It has been cleaned and restored by professional art conservators who worked with and trained members of the community.
Ever notice that Hollywood's Old West, the backdrop for the gun-slinging and cryptic comments of Hollywood's Western icons – Wayne, Eastwood, Douglas and Newman – has much in common with the Wild West of today's Tombstone and Geronimo? They've all been filmed at the Old Tucson Studios, which were built in 1939 for the making of the William Holden film Arizona. Still an active film, TV and commercial set, it's also a nostalgia-themed park, with main drag shootouts, corseted can-can dancers, educational shows, pre-Prohibition saloons, restaurants, and gift shops.
This minor mountain range to the southwest of the city has an excellent trail network for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. The park has many healthy stands of saguaros. The higher-elevation trails provide beautiful views, and are a popular place to photograph sunsets.
An annual week-long rodeo held in mid-February, the highlight of which is the Rodeo Parade. This event marks the start of rodeo season in the US.
The Castaway
El Tiradito is the only shrine to a sinner in North America. In the 1880s, a young man had an affair with his mother-in-law. When caught in the act, his father-in-law shot him and he stumbled from bed and ran out of the house. He dropped dead on this spot, and because he had not confessed his sins, he could not be buried in the church yard. His family and friends interred him where he fell, but remembered him with candles and flowers. People still burn candles and leave offerings today. Best visited at dusk or after dark.