Tumamoc Hill is one of Tucson’s cultural icons.
About 1,500 daily visitors come to the hill, immediately west of “A” Mountain and downtown Tucson, for a great cardio workout while immersed in the beautiful Sonoran Desert.
Yet, did you know that Tumamoc is actually the Anglicization of the Tohono O’odham words Cemamagi Du’ag, meaning “hill of the horned lizard”? Or that people first settled at the top of Tumamoc Hill over 2,500 years ago? And that the study of ecology in North America began at the Desert Laboratory buildings halfway up the hill?
These and many more are the stories that await you in the fully bilingual Tumamoc Tour — narrated in English by desert explorer David Yetman and in Spanish by acclaimed Mexican scientist Alberto Burquez.
The Tumamoc Tour tells the story of this desert and the more than 4,000 years of human history through the lens of these historic grounds.
Those of us who walk the hill today partake in the thousands of years of migration up and down this steep volcanic peak. With each step, you will be taken through a journey in six different sections, punctuated with music by Calexico and Gabriel Naim Amor. You will hear about those who have preceded you and learn to see the plants and animals around you in a new way.
Each engaging section and 16 YouTube feature videos tell how the careful study of this ecological preserve has resolved many of the desert’s secrets, such as how old saguaros are, the close connection between saguaros and palo verdes, and the secret lives of ants and barrel cactus.One of the 16 features is an augmented reality reconstruction of the village that once stood on top of the hill 2,500 years ago.
Download the Tumamoc Tour, on the App Store and Google Play, to see the desert and Tumamoc Hill through new eyes.
