Video
Human - ASL / Audio Description
Transcript
People have been following the waters of the Santa Cruz River for thousands of years. Before borders, before horses, before the Spanish language filled the bosques where you’re standing, the ancestors of the Tohono O’odham followed the river, creating trails that connected the many cultures in the region. Throughout history these Native trails have cradled the footprints of many. People of diverse backgrounds have used them to seek a new home, to search for new opportunities, trade with others, or to escape an oppressive life. The Anza Trail is just one name for these collective paths and represents one snapshot in history that tells of such stories. María Feliciana Arballo was an Afro-Latina mother and widow who joined the Anza expedition which passed through this very spot nearly 250 years ago. She was a colonist on the 1775 journey from modern-day Sinaloa, Mexico to Alta California. She sought a better life for herself and her children and wished to escape a harsh social system that deemed her, a woman of mixed race and African descent, as inferior. When it was decided that she and her young daughters, 4-year-old María Tomasa and infant María Eustaquia, were not allowed to join the expedition, she appealed directly to the expedition leader Juan Bautista de Anza. Her courage and insistence bought her passage. She and the little ones endured the challenging trek through parched deserts and snowy mountain passes, eventually settling in southern California. Her grandson, Pio Pico, would become the governor of Alta California. María Feliciana Arballo’s story is inspiring, but it is not unique. In the 250 years that have passed since members of the Anza expedition walked on this ground, many have followed this river’s current seeking new opportunities and refuge.
Description
ASL / Audio Description for Footprints exhibit at the Anza Trail Cultural History Park in Tucson, AZ
Duration
2 minutes, 17 seconds
Credit
AZFLIS
Date Created
01/05/2023
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