Events

To celebrate our museum reopening, join us rain or shine for a free open house with hands-on activities, a lecture, and light refreshments. In addition to viewing our upgraded facilities, be the first to see our new and revitalized exhibits, including the debut of Kumeyaay Cosmology on loan from the Imperial Valley Desert Museum. This immersive exhibit explores the Kumeyaay people’s relationship with the seasons, stars, and celestial events.  Event Schedule 10 AM: Museum opens 10:30 AM - 11 AM: Opening ceremony 11 AM - 1 PM: Hands-on activities 1 PM - 2 PM: Fact or Fiction: Hollywood, Hoaxes, and Hearsay Lecture  

This lecture stems from one of the Center's recent exhibits which investigates our irrational fascination with fantastical stories and ideas about human history. Public Archaeology Director Adam Niesley will explore the scientific evidence (or lack thereof) for commonly held archaeological beliefs and how conspiracies develop.

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.