Downtown in Tucson in Pima County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Plaza de la Mesilla

Photographed by Bill Kirchner, January 10, 2010

1. Plaza de la Mesilla Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

One of the few remaining sites which recall the Mexican heritage of Tucson, it acquired its name after the Gadsden Purchase (1854) as the terminus of the wagon road joining Tucson to the territorial capital, then at Mesilla. When San Agustin, the first cathedral church in Arizona, was erected just east of the plaza, it became known as La Placita de San Agustin. It is now called "La Placita."

Spanish Translation: Plaza de La Mesilla Uno de los pocos sitios restantes que recuerdan la herencia mexicana de Tucsón, recibió su nombre después del Tratado de Mesilla (Compra Gadsden), en 1854, como terminal del camino de carromatos que unían a Tucsón con la capital del territorio, en aquel entonces en Mesilla.

Cuando San Agustín, la primera catedral construida en Arizona, fue edificada al este de la plaza, se le comenzó a llamar La Placita de San Agustín. Ahora se le llama “La Placita”.

Erected by Tucson Historical Committee and Arizona Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this

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topic list: Hispanic Americans. In addition, it is included in the Arizona, The Presidio Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1854.

Location. 32° 13.258′ N, 110° 58.396′ W. Marker is in Tucson, Arizona, in Pima County. It is in Downtown. It can be reached from West Broadway Boulevard. Marker is located at north end of La Placita in front of the gazebo. La Placita is just south of Broadway Blvd. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 123 W Broadway Blvd, Tucson AZ 85701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Arizona’s Sky Islands,

in the Sonoran Desert,

and in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Southwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also the Gadsden Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Meyer Street (within shouting distance of this marker); Convent Street (within shouting distance of this marker); August 20th Park (within shouting distance of this marker); La Catedral de San Agustin (within shouting distance of this marker); Garcés Footbridge (within shouting distance of this marker); Jackson Street (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Charles O. Brown House (about 400 feet away); Ochoa Street (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tucson.

Regarding Plaza de la Mesilla. This site is #7 on the Presidio Walking Tour:
“This is a replica of the original 1880’s bandstand in the plaza and is

Photographed by Bill Kirchner, January 10, 2010

2. Plaza de la Mesilla Marker

Spanish translation of marker text.

the site where the stagecoach would gallop into town from Mesilla, New Mexico, or San Diego along the old El Camino Real (the royal road). Often Apache arrows would be embedded in the stagecoach from encounters along the trail. La Placita is a collection of shops and offices built in the 1970s on the site of an old Tucson neighborhood as part of urban renewal."

Plaza de la Mesilla Marker & Gazebo image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Kirchner, January 10, 2010

3. Plaza de la Mesilla Marker & Gazebo

This gazebo is a replica of the original 1880's bandstand. This was a stage-stop along the old Camino Real (the Royal Road).

Credits. This page was last revised on August 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 14, 2010, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 3,111 times since then and 98 times this year. Last updated on May 13, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 14, 2010, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.