Ethnobotanical Garden

The Tohono O’odham and the Spanish foraged and farmed this land for many years. The Ethnobotanical Garden displays the types of plants they used for food, basket making, medicine, and cultural ceremonies. The summer crops feature native plants flood farmed by the Tohono O’odham on the banks of the Santa Cruz River, as well as indigenous plants they harvested for their fruit, seeds and fibers. The winter crops feature plants the Spanish and other Europeans brought with them to the New World. These crops helped to bring the Tohono O’odham to the missions to live because they were a guaranteed food source during the time of year that food was scarce. The weather station is located in the southeast corner of this garden. Stop by to read the log of the month’s high and low temperature.

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