And we hope you will join us on a leisurely tour through historic areas surrounding the Sonora River in Mexico on March 15th – 17th, 2022.

Please join us for a leisurely and flexible 3 day, 2-night tour by South of the Border Tours motorcoach through historic areas surrounding the Sonora River in Mexico. Overnight stays are in the best hotels in Banamichi (Opata word for “ where the river turns”). Two expert guides: Bill Steen and Gary Nabhan will comment on the history of this area. The trio of Bobby Ronstadt, Liz Cerepanya and Don Armstrong will accompany us on our tour providing musical entertainment as we go. Museum staff will accompany our guides to assist with arrangements as the trip progresses.

We depart from Patagonia, in front of the Patagonia Trading Post, 317 Mckeown Avenue, at 8 am Tuesday, March 15th. From Patagonia we proceed to Nogales, stopping in the Magdalena church plaza and Cucurpe for lunch. We then arrive at Banamichi where we stay, enjoying most of our meals at La Posada del Rio Sonora, the former residence of General Padilla. Wednesday morning we explore the local towns on the Rio Sonora and visit a local ranch for lunch. Wednesday evening we enjoy local entertainment by Danza Xunutzi at an open-air plaza. On Thursday, we depart Banamichi for Arizpe, Sonora’s first capitol, and then proceed to Bacoachi for lunch, returning to Patagonia via Naco late Thursday afternoon on March 17th.

The price ($650, double occupancy, museum member) includes transportation via USA licensed motor coach, meals, meal gratuities and lodging for one person. Additional beverages will be your responsibility. There is a $50 non-member fee and a $250 single occupant surcharge due to the limited lodging available.

There are 24 seats available for this tour with double occupancy at the hotels in Banamichi. Full payment secures your seat on a first-come, first-served basis. 100% of your payment will be refunded if requested or required.

Note: You will need a current passport to enter Mexico and return to the United States. Some extended walking on uneven surfaces may be required. For additional information contact: German Quiroga at 520-343-5641 or email him at patagoniamuseumpresident@gmail.com.

Right click on this form to save it and register for the trip. Banamichi Bus Tour Registration Form March 2022

A group of volunteers from the Museum, led by Murphy Musick, will once again be replacing flags on the veteran’s graves in the Patagonia Cemetery in anticipation of Memorial Day, Monday, May 25th.

There are 93 veterans that are buried in the cemetery and we’re pleased to announce that for the first time, we are in a position to replace ALL the flags on their graves. The new flags we have purchased will stay up all year round as a symbol of our appreciation for their service to our country.

If you would like to help, Murphy will meet you at the cemetery flagpole at 8:00 AM on Sunday, the 24th. If you can’t make the event but would like to donate to the flag replacement fund, we thank you.

Call it what you will, the idea that items that have outlived their short term usefulness can be of value is a concept that matters to an organization like the Museum. Happily, our neighbors at the Empire Ranch Foundation feel exactly the same way which is why we are now the proud owners of 14 1940’s era school desks.

In terms of the back story on the transaction, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is partnered with the Empire Ranch Foundation (ERF)  for the purpose of preserving the Empire Ranch, one of our area’s treasures. School desks that were not needed at another BLM restoration project at the Fairbank schoolhouse have been in storage in an outbuilding at the Ranch since 2007.  Fortunately, Alison Bunting who is the historian for the ERF, as well as a member of the Museum, was aware of our plan for the Lochiel schoolhouse to become a community meeting place in the near future. She contacted our curators, Linda & Tom Shore, and the rest, as they say, is history.

We owe a big round of thanks to the BLM for their generosity, Alison for her thoughtfulness and the ERF volunteers for their helpful hands. The desks are off to a good new home and the ERF has regained some storage space…..which sounds like a win/win to us.

Good news! The Patagonia Museum will host our fifth fundraising and educational tour to the Rio Sonora Valley on February 18, 19 and 20. Our expert guides are Dr. Deni Seymour and Bill Steen. You can read more about their very impressive backgrounds here.  Musical entertainment will be provided by P.D. Ronstadt and The Company.

Our chartered motor coach will depart from Patagonia on Tuesday, February 18, at 8 am and will return to Patagonia on Thursday, February 20, in the late afternoon.

The price per person which includes transportation, lodging, meals and meal gratuities is $600 (double occupancy) per museum members and $650 for non-members. (As an FYI, membership into the Patagonia Museum is open to anyone who supports our work. The fee starts as low as $5 for students, $35 for individuals and $50 for households so if you are planning to go to Banamichi, it’s worth becoming a member….for that reason and a lot more.)

There is limited seating for this tour so please let us know if you plan to go  as soon as convenient. Proceeds from this fundraising event support our programs and projects.  For more info, see the Banamichi Bus Tour Flyer March 2020.

If you would like to join us, please print off the registration form and return it along with a check to PO Box 919, Patagonia, AZ 85624.

Banamichi Bus Tour Registration Form March 2020

Questions should be directed to German Quiroga at 520.343.5641 or via email: german@thepatagoniamuseum.org.

The official word: the Patagonia Museum enjoyed another educational and entertaining bus tour to Mexico. On November 9, 10 and 11, museum guests traveled to Casa Grandes, Chihuahua and Mata Ortiz.

Highlights of the tour included a picnic lunch at Pancho Villa State Park in Columbus, New Mexico, a guided tour of Paquime and El Museo de las Culturas de el Norte, a pottery making demonstration in Mata Ortiz and a visit to the plaza at Viejo Casas Grandes .

Don’t take it from us…here’s what one of the participants had to say:

“Just wanted to thank you again for a great tour with wonderful people! You did a super job of getting everything organized and making adjustments when needed! Having Bobby Ronstadt along was an added bonus. Becky was also an excellent guide…..we learned so much!

The Patagonia Museum invites you to join us for our second fund-raising bus tour to Mata Ortiz on November 9, 10 and 11, 2019. We depart from Patagonia on Saturday, November 9, at 8 am. By mid-afternoon we arrive in Paquime and tour the Museo de las Culturas del Norte. We lodge and dine at the Hotel Hacienda in Nuevo Casas Grandes for 2 nights. On Sunday, we proceed to Mata Ortiz and view a pottery making demonstration, visit with several pottery makers and enjoy lunch provided by our Mata Ortiz hosts.Rebecca Orozco, a history and anthropology instructor at Cochise College and the University of Arizona, will provide commentary throughout our tour. Peter Dalton Ronstadt and Company will provide the musical entertainment during the tour. On Monday, we return through  Puerto Palomas and dine and shop at the Pink Store. We return to Patagonia by 6 pm that day.

The fee for Museum members is $550 per person (with double occupancy) and includes your transportation, lodging, entertainment and meals. There is a $50 per person surcharge for nonmembers of the museum. Membership to the museum is available to anyone interested in supporting our work and begins at $5 for students, $35 for individuals and $50 for families.

Please click on the link below to download the Tour Registration form that needs to be returned along with your check.