Tubac Arizona
Tubac is a town on Santa Cruz River, located in extreme northwest corner of BACA Land Grant No. 5. It was a settlement of Pima and Papago Indians on the west bank of Santa Cruz River. The word “Tubac” came from the Papago name “chuevak” which means “adobe house” or “ruined house.”
In 1691, Santa Cruz Valley was colonized by the Spanish missionaries. After more than 5 decades of Spanish rule, the Pima revolt in 1751 caused widespread destruction. A year later, they established a presidio (fort), named San Ignacio de Tubac, after defeating the Piman warriors. In 1821, the area was under Mexican rule after its independence from Spain. The US-Mexican war (1846-1848) has decimated the area into a ghost town. Life returned in Tubac only in 1856 when the Sonora Mining and Exploring Company in the old presidio ruins were established. The population grew to more than 1,000.
Presently, Tubac is surrounded by scenic high desert vistas. It also enjoys a year-round economic boom due to its summer temperatures which is cooler than that of Phoenix or Tucson. It has a population of 949 as of year 2000 census.
