According to the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau, downtown Tucson sits on the longest continuously inhabited site in the US. It's earliest residents, the Hohokam tribe, predated both the Spanish Conquistadors and missionaries, Mexican and US armies, legends of the Wild West, and many founding families seeking to establish a vital community in which to raise their families. A walking tour of downtown Tucson reveals the areas history and cultural diversity at the turn of every corner - a history as varied as its many inhabitants through the centuries. This and the following 6 images were taken on a short, but worthwhile walk around Tucson's historic downtown.

The sole surviving church named for St Augustine, of which there were at least 3, was begun in 1896. It is built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style with a beautiful cast sandstone facade. Time and the desert climate ultimately rendered the church unsafe and in 1966 it was completely rebuilt, with the exception of the facade and towers, which were restored.