![](media/image1.emf){width="1.59375in"
height="1.425in"}![](media/image2.emf){width="0.18958333333333333in"
height="0.14305555555555555in"}

***[WHY THE SANTA CRUZ?]{.underline}***

***[BACKGROUND INFORMATION:]{.underline}***

In the article, \"Kino\'s Unforeseen Legacy,\" Dr. Sheridan speaks of
environmental, economic and social/cultural conditions which were
influential in determining the history of the Pimeria Alta. For the
O'odham people, the \"encounter\" with Jesuit Father Kino in the late
1600\'s was especially significant because of several environmental
conditions in their homeland:

**[ARIDITY]{.underline}**: Since most of the Pimeria Alta only gets
about five to fifteen inches of rainfall a year, water was a precious
and relatively rare commodity.

**[RAINFALL PATTERNS]{.underline}**: The two rainy seasons, winter and
summer, have very different characteristics. In winter, rain falls more
reliably, and tends to soak the ground in gentle, long-duration showers.
Rain tends to fall over a wide area. Since the temperature is cooler,
less rain evaporates back into the air before it can be absorbed by the
ground or plant roots. Summer, in contrast, brings dramatic downpours
that can cause flooding. Summer rains are less reliable than the winter
rains and the rainfall patterns tend to be uneven. Some areas get
drenched while others remain bone-dry. High summer temperatures can
evaporate much of the rain that falls before it has a chance to get into
the ground.

**[RIVER OASIS]{.underline}**: The Santa Cruz River provided a very
different environment from that found in the \"uplands," (uphill and
away from the floodplain). Rich soils and shallow groundwater levels
allowed dense woodlands of mesquite and other trees to flourish

in the lowlands, while nearer the river channel, cottonwoods and willows
created shady canopies with a lush understory of plants. The river
itself flowed all year round in many places (such as Guevavi, Calabasas,
Tumacacori, Tubac, and San Xavier), providing reliable water for both
animals and humans.

**[O'odham ADAPTATION]{.underline}**:

The O'odham were well-adapted to their environment but experienced major
resource limitations. They farmed by utilizing floodplains near the
river and collection of monsoon rains to water their crops of corn,
beans, and squash. Although still debated, they may have brought water
from the river to their fields via "*acequias*" or canals. Besides
enduring drought periods, which caused crop failures, they suffered when
summer rains were too heavy, washing out their floodplain crops. In
addition, the O'odham lacked a winter crop and were forced to gather
foods or hunt for survival. Because they could utilize wild foods so
efficiently, the O'odham people survived such times, but had to move a
great deal to gather enough wild foods to survive, sometimes ranging
over great distances just to feed their families.

***[ACTIVITY]{.underline}***

In this graphing activity students will graph and compare the rainfall
patterns from two areas: the Santa Cruz Valley and the desert around
Tucson.

\- Discuss present day weather patterns in the Santa Cruz Valley:

-   When is the hot season? How hot does it get?

-   Is it as hot in the Santa Cruz Valley as it is in Tucson? Phoenix?
    Why is there a difference?

-   How cold does it get in winter?

-   When is the rainy season? (*winter and summer*) Does it ever flood?

\- Working in teams, have students use the "Rainfall in the Santa Cruz
Valley" chart (**Master Page I - 16**) to make a graph with students
plotting rainfall over time. Discuss the following:

-   When does the most rainfall occur? The least?

-   Which rainy season has more consistent rainfall?

-   If you were farmers, which season would be best for growing crops?

\- Repeat the graphing exercise with the "Rainfall in the Desert" chart
(**Master Page I - 16**).

-   Are there differences between the two rainy seasons?

-   Do you think you could grow corn in the desert? Why or why not?

\- Compare both graphs and discuss:

-   Which area received more rain? Why?

-   Based on rainfall, which area would be better to live in if you were
    a farmer?

-   What year might be a particularly good year for farming? Why?

-   What was the worst year?

-   Which years would a farmer be likely to lose their corn crop if they
    planted in June or July? Why?

*Rainfall of five inches or more in a month would create a flood in
summer months; six or more inches for winter months. In years #2, #4,
#6, #7 and #8 there occurred corn losses from flooding and in #1 from
too little rain*.

-   What do you think happened to the Pima Indians in year #1 ?

> *They would have to rely on wild foods only, as their crops would have
> failed.*

![](media/image2.emf){width="0.18958333333333333in"
height="0.14305555555555555in"}

***[RAINFALL IN THE SANTA CRUZ VALLEY]{.underline}***

**[TOTAL MONTHLY RAINFALL IN INCHES FOR TUMACACORI WEATHER
STATION]{.underline}**

**YEAR JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC**

**\# 1** 2.0 2.1 1.5 0.0 0.2 0.1 3.3 3.2 0.9 3.4 2.8 3.6

**\# 2** 2.8 0.8 1.4 0.0 0.5 0.9 3.4 1.9 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.4

**\# 3** 0.4 2.0 0.8 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.6 2.5 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.1

**\# 4** 1.5 0.7 1.9 0.1 1.0 0.0 6.9 4.1 2.0 1.1 0.7 0.0

**\# 5** 1.1 0.1 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.3 2.2 3.1 1.9 0.0 0.4 3.8

**\# 6** 1.9 1.2 3.3 0.1 0.0 0.0 3.2 4.8 6.4 6.7 0.8 0.7

**\# 7** 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.1 1.5 10.6 3.8 1.5 1.1 0.7 4.1

**\# 8** 2.1 1.3 0.1 0.7 0.0 0.0 5.2 2.6 2.9 1.5 0.8 0.4

**\# 9** 0.0 1.6 1.3 0.0 0.4 0.4 5.3 3.9 0.5 0.2 0.4 1.6

**\# 10** 0.6 1.9 0.4 1.3 0.6 0.0 3.3 5.3 2.6 0.8 0.2 1.7

***[RAINFALL IN THE DESERT]{.underline}***

**[TOTAL MONTHLY RAINFALL IN INCHES FOR SAGUARO WEATHER
STATION]{.underline}**

**YEAR JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC**

**\# 1** 2.0 0.9 0.3 0.3 T T 1.9 1.0 1.2 1.1 1.3 0.3

**\# 2** 0.1 1.8 1.4 T 0.2 0.0 1.7 0.6 0.0 0.6 0.6 1.3

**\# 3** 0.7 1.4 0.8 T 0.7 0.7 0.6 1.0 1.3 0.4 0.3 1.4

**\# 4** 0.4 0.6 0.2 1.8 0.0 0.1 1.2 4.2 0.1 2.8 0.5 0.3

**\# 5** 0.8 0.1 0.9 0.0 0.1 0.1 2.2 2.2 0.0 1.1 0.4 0.3

**\# 6** 1.4 0.7 1.5 0.5 0.1 T 4.8 1.7 1.2 0.8 0.5 3.2

**\# 7** 1.3 0.7 1.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.2 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.2

**\# 8** 2.0 2.2 2.1 0.2 1.1 0.1 3.8 4.8 1.7 0.6 0.0 0.0

**\# 9** 5.2 1.0 0.7 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 5.6 0.2 \-\-\-- 1.3 0.5

**\# 10** 0.0 1.3 1.7 0.1 0.8 T 0.4 1.7 0.8 0.6 1.1 3.2

***[TEMPERATURES IN THE SANTA CRUZ VALLEY]{.underline}***

**[MONTHLY MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES FOR TUMACACORI WEATHER
STATION]{.underline}**

**(MAX MIN)**

**YEAR JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC**

**1978** 66 NA 66 23 74 31 81 30 90 37 102 48 100 57 95 57 92 47 87 42
70 29 62 5

**1979** 59 18 69 25 70 28 82 31 87 34 99 45 102 56 96 53 99 56 91 32 73
16 72 24

**1980** 68 26 72 29 71 30 82 31 87 35 104 43 102 62 97 57 96 51 86 32
78 24 76 24

**1981** 69 28 74 21 71 31 85 32 88 42 103 53 97 64 96 58 93 50 84 31 81
28 75 19

**1982** 67 22 71 22 75 23 84 NA 89 40 98 46 98 56 96 59 94 44 87 33 72
26 63 21

**1983** 67 22 67 28 69 29 75 26 90 36 97 43 99 54 93 53 91 56 80 45 72
24 69 26

**1984** 66 23 70 22 78 28 80 29 96 38 96 53 92 61 91 59 92 51 78 40 73
21 65 25

**1985** 62 26 68 17 74 25 85 32 91 37 102 44 98 58 95 53 89 47 82 42 72
24 70 22

**1986** 74 22 72 26 77 31 84 32 92 35 99 50 93 58 94 62 91 42 83 35 73
28 66 21

**1987** 67 17 67 24 71 26 82 37 84 38 98 53 97 52 91 54 87 46 85 43 71
23 62 14

***[TEMPERATURES IN THE DESERT]{.underline}***

**[MONTHLY MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES FOR SAGUARO WEATHER
STATION]{.underline}**

**(MAX MIN)**

**YEAR JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC**

**1978** 77 32 80 34 90 40 96 38 106 46 111 60 110 67 104 67 102 55 100
50 86 38 78 21

**1979** 74 30 85 31 85 37 92 39 100 44 114 57 113 68 106 6O 108 61 101
46 85 32 82 36

**1980** 75 35 86 38 79 40 98 40 100 46 114 57 112 63 110 67 108 65 106
46 93 39 87 35

**1981** 83 37 89 34 86 38 98 39 97 54 113 70 109 67 109 68 103 64 93 46
90 39 85 32

**1982** 81 31 86 35 82 36 93 43 101 49 109 61 109 65 108 65 106 57 94
45 85 35 80 31

**1983** 77 33 81 36 85 43 91 37 109 49 107 59 116 71 105 64 107 61 87
55 82 33 79 33

**1984** 77 31 77 34 87 39 96 39 108 49 105 62 107 65 107 63 103 61 89
47 89 30 73 31

**1985** 71 29 81 23 81 33 94 45 99 50 112 54 109 66 108 66 99 54 96 47
87 32 77 28

**1986** 83 39 87 29 89 37 93 41 103 47 107 64 109 64 105 65 102 50 90
46 80 40 78 33

**1987** 83 22 81 31 83 35 96 41 96 49 109 63 109 67 104 63 101 60 101
56 81 34 81 24