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.

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, like vineyards and fruit orchards, developed in areas of the watershed with the proper elevations and soils.

Watch our short film series Cultivating Identity, which explores how heritage foods—whether foraged or cultivated—connect past, present, and future.

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.