Many Yaquis came to Arizona either alone, in small family groups, or as unrelated groups who shared a common heritage. The Yaquis followed the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks establishing the first Yaqui communities in the Tucson area. Many continued to journey north, following the railroad tracks and establishing communities in Marana, Eloy, Sacaton, Phoenix, Yuma.

Náhuatl is one of the most spoken indigenous languages in the Americas with over 1.7 million speakers and is part of the Uto-Aztecan (UA) family language. A language family that historically spanned from the US state of Idaho down to Northern Costa Rica. This family contains a variety of different languages that all came from a common ancestor thousands of years ago. Over the years various migrations occurred and groups eventually diverged from each other and started to become their own independent culture and language.

Cesar Chavez was an American hero, a person who was admired by both his supporters and his adversaries. In grammar school, many students learn about his advocacy and dedication to his causes, but few people know much about his roots. Nearly everyone knows that Cesar Estrada Chavez was born on March 31, 1927 near Yuma, Arizona. The Arizona State Board of Health Certificate of Birth Number 594 states that Cesario Chavez was the legitimate son of Librado Chavez (38 years old, a farmer born in Mexico) and Juana Estrada (35 years old, a housewife also born in Mexico). His birthplace was listed as “North Gila Valley” in Yuma County. A copy of that birth record has been reproduced below [Arizona Department of Health Services, “Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates: Index.” Online: http://genealogy.az.gov/].

This presentation discusses the native groups that occupied the regions adjacent to and on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border over the last three centuries. While some of these tribes are well-known to us today (i.e., the Yaquis, Tohono O'odham, Kumeyaay, Cocopah, etc.), tribal groups that have disappeared as distinguishable cultural entities (i.e., Carrizos, Mansos, Jocome, Coahuiltecans, etc.) will also be discussed. In addition to the history of those tribes, we will explore the current status of the tribal communities that still exist today.