Presidio Museum Mural (2007)
Presidio Museum Mural (2007)
In 2007, I completed a large-scale historical mural for the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson, coinciding with the opening of the reconstructed fort site in downtown Tucson. The mural depicts life at the Tucson Presidio in the late 1700s and was developed through careful research to reflect the architecture, clothing, and cultural diversity of the period.
While Tucson has a long history of community murals, this work was part of a new phase of public art tied directly to historic preservation and cultural interpretation. Installed at a major heritage site, the mural helped demonstrate how large-scale painting could serve not just as decoration, but as a form of visual storytelling grounded in scholarship.
Created just before the rapid expansion of Tucson’s contemporary mural scene in the following decade, the Presidio mural stands as an early example of the city’s modern approach to murals, where public art, history, and place are closely connected.
The Presidio Mural,
The Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum mural is a recreation of the northeast corner of the old Tucson Presidio which was built in the 1760s as protection from Apache raids. The walls were re-created using local adobe. A large block wall was constructed on the south side. This is the wall upon which I painted the mural. It was an intensive exercise in what I call "Visual Archaeology," requiring a deep immersion into the 18th-century soul of our city. Every detail—from the specific architecture of the adobe walls to the period-accurate uniforms of the soldiers—was informed by the site’s own 2006 archaeological excavation and rigorous historical consultation. My goal was to move beyond mere paint and build a durable, life-sized window through which the community can step directly into the year 1775.
We had to have it "complete" for the Grand Opening of the Presidio on May 19th. Afterwards we continued to work some of the areas, finally finishing in June. We worked in all types of weather.We were all wearing jackets in March when we started. By June, we were working early in the mornings before the 108 degree heat moved in. Now the Presidio is used for all sorts of activities and the mural is a backdrop for everything that happens there. This project was a family project where I worked alongside all 3 of my sons to reconstruct the Spanish Colonial origins of Tucson.
Today, the Presidio Mural has become a vibrant, living backdrop for the Tucson community. Located on the south wall of the Tucson Presidio Museum, the mural now serves as a central feature for a wide array of museum events and public gatherings. Because of its life-sized scale and the "Cinematic Historical Realism" of the scene, it has become a popular destination for photography, with visitors frequently posing for pictures alongside the meticulously rendered, period-accurate Spanish soldiers. This daily interaction transforms the mural from a static historical reconstruction into an active participant in modern Tucson life, fulfilling my vision of creating an immersive window that allows the public to step directly into the year 1775.
To ensure the work would endure the harsh Sonoran climate, I utilized Nova Color Paint, an acrylic polymer-based medium that bonds to masonry for permanent, lightfast color.
I didn't realize this would be such a high profile project. I was interviewed, videotaped, and photographed by every newspaper and television station in Tucson.