More than 3,500 years ago, the Hohokam were cultivating the three sisters—corn, beans, and squash—along the banks of the Santa Cruz River.

Watch Cultivating Identity, our short film about how heritage foods connect past, present, and future (7:44 mins).

Irrigation from surface flows ceased in the late 1800s and early 1900s as water tables dropped and the river channel incised its floodplain in many places. However, irrigated farming has continued throughout the valley through groundwater pumping. Today, the main valley is still an important producer of cotton, wheat, and other crops.

Vineyards and fruit orchards have also been developed in areas of the watershed with the proper elevations and soils.

Fortunately, sustainable Native American traditions of agriculture continue today, thanks to active crop conservation and reintroduction programs. In 2015, this heritage contributed to UNESCO designating Tucson a Creative City of Gastronomy—the first in the U.S.

Read more about our Desert Farming here.