SDAC Events

Local archaeologist and historian Richard L Carrico will be joining us to talk about his latest book, El Presidio de San Diego: Excavating Southern California’s Lost City, where he uncovers San Diego’s first European settlement. Founded in 1769, the ruins of upper California’s first mission and fort lie buried beneath the landscaped hills in Presidio Park. Carrico’s extensive research on the presidio and its people include materials from Spanish archives housed in Mexico City and Berkeley, Kumeyaay oral tradition, and nearly a decade of archaeological excavation at the site - two seasons of which Professor Carrico directed himself. In this talk, Professor Carrico will delve into the men, women, and children who lived and died at the presidio. Cost: $15 (includes museum admission); SDAC Members $5 Register for Lecture About the Presenter Richard Carrico is an Army veteran and award-winning author of non-fiction and historical fiction on eclectic topics including Indigenous people, Spanish colonial history, archaeology, and, most recently, true crime. He grew up in San Diego, California and has traveled extensively in Mexico and France in search of archaeological sites. Professor Carrico taught history, anthropology, and Native American studies at San Diego State University for thirty years before retiring in 2024.

This workshop for youth and teens will teach participants how to create natural pigments from raw materials, highlighting the process of creating pigments used in rock art. More details and registration coming soon.

This workshop for teens and adults honors Kumeyaay traditions through hands-on gourd crafting, fostering respect for indigenous knowledge, cosmology, and the cultural significance of the local landscape. Taught by SDAC Tribal Outreach Coordinator Neve Luna (Kumeyaay). More details and registration coming soon.

In this lecture and workshop, adults can learn the ancient art of stone toolmaking and explore the cultural significance of flintknapping while creating their own basic tool under expert guidance.

This lecture and wine tasting explores how Roman viticulture shaped culture, trade, and identity, drawing connections between ancient practices and today’s global wine industry. 21+ only. More details and registration coming soon.

Held at Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead, the program will begin with a ranger-led hike from Sikes Adobe to Mule Hill, highlighting the region’s ecology, history, and the cultural and medicinal uses of native plants. After the hike, participants will return to Sikes Adobe for a tour and talk by a Kumeyaay tribal member and herbalist on plant traditions through archaeology, ethnobotany, and oral history. The program will conclude with a community tea gathering, featuring blends inspired by the plants discussed throughout the day. More details and registration coming soon.