Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation is in southern Arizona, 15 miles southwest of Tucson. The tribe descends from the ancient Uto-Aztecan people. Upon the arrival of the
Spanish in 1533 until the late 1870s, the Yaquis fought the Spanish
and then the Mexicans in intermittent warfare.
The first modern settlements of the Yaquis were near Nogales and
South Tucson. Gradually, the Yaquis spread out, settling north of
Tucson in a village they named Pascua Village and in Guadalupe
close to Tempe and Scottsdale. By 1920, there were probably more
than 2,000 Yaquis in Arizona.
During the development of Pascua Village and the struggle for self-determination,
cultural traditions thrived. Though based on
Christian teachings, the Yaqui culture has remained rich in native
Indian elements. The Yaquis, now calling themselves the Pascua
Yaqui Tribe of Arizona, accepted political integration into American
society but retained their old religious and cultural way of life.
In 1952, Pascua Village was annexed into the City of Tucson, where
Yaquis still live. In 1964, Congressman Morris K. Udall introduced a
bill in Congress for the transfer of 202 acres of desert land south-west
of Tucson to the Yaquis who were looking for a home where
they could keep their tribal identity. The bill was approved in
August 1964 and the Pascua Yaqui Association, a nonprofit Arizona
corporation, was formed to receive the deed for the land from the
federal government.
Tribal government is the largest employer on the reservation. The
tribe operates a gaming facility, Casino of the Sun, which includes
slot machines, keno, and card games. The tribe also operates a
landscape nursery business, a bingo hall, and manufactures adobe
blocks.