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History Beneath Our Feet
The Story of El Presidio, Lecture and Walking Tour
November/December 2025
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SOHO is pleased to present a fascinating journey into San Diego's early history with noted historian, author, and San Diego State University lecturer Richard Carrico. Join us in February 2026 for both a virtual lecture and an immersive guided walking tour exploring the story of El Presidio de San Diego, the city’s earliest settlement.
Through his one-hour Penning the Past lecture on February 14, delivered via Zoom, Richard will uncover San Diego’s buried history through his book El Presidio de San Diego: Excavating Southern California’s Lost City. Then, the following weekend on February 21, he will lead a 90-minute walking tour through Presidio Park, tracing the footprints of San Diego’s earliest inhabitants and settlers.
Established in 1769 and abandoned by 1835, el presidio was the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific Coast of what is now the United States and the base for the twenty-one Spanish missions that later spread throughout California. Over the decades, it became home to Spaniards, Mexicans, Native peoples, and Anglo-Americans, with its cemetery serving as the final resting place for many of them.
Carrico is a respected scholar of Spanish and Mexican California history, an archaeologist, and a retired professor of American Indian Studies at San Diego State University. He directed archaeological excavations at both el presidio and Mission San Diego de Alcalá, offering unparalleled insight into these foundational sites. His latest book, El Presidio de San Diego (Arcadia Publishing, 2025), further explores the stories, discoveries, and people that shaped this historic landscape.
Presidio Park has long been recognized by SOHO as a threatened historic landscape, appearing multiple times on our Most Endangered List—first in 2005, when the City of San Diego proposed a destructive redevelopment plan, and again in 2023, after a poorly designed ADA retrofit to the Serra Museum. Preserving Presidio Park is vital not only for its historical importance as California’s first European settlement but also for honoring the diverse cultural heritage of all who lived there, including the Kumeyaay of the nearby Cosoy village, whose deep history continues to enhance our region’s identity.
Come explore the history and hidden remnants of this National Historic Landmark in a captivating lecture and walking tour led by one of San Diego’s most revered historians!
Registration Information
Virtual Lecture: Penning the Past
February 14, 2026, 11am-12 noon
Free for SOHO members; $10 for non-members
A link to the Zoom presentation will be emailed directly to you the Friday evening before the lecture
Guided Walking Tour: Presidio Park
February 21, 2026, 11am-12:30pm
$25 for SOHO members; $35 for non-members
Tour & Book Bundle (Discounted and includes signed copy)
$45 members/$55 nonmembers
Your book will be held at will call for pickup after the tour, where author and archaeologist Richard L. Carrico will be available to sign copies
Purchase tickets online or by calling SOHO at (619) 297-9327.
Last day to purchase tickets for tour February 20, 2025.
Sorry, no ticket sales the day of the tour
Guided Walking Tour Details
Location Presidio Park, 2727 Presidio Drive, San Diego, CA 92110
Date and Time Saturday, February 21, 2025, 11am-12:30pm
Meeting Point Serra Cross (link to map) https://maps.app.goo.gl/RUiDLXuoZfDhk57ZA
Check In Pick up your walking tour tickets at Will Call/Registration upon arrival
Parking Free parking available on site
Please note This tour is not ADA accessible. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring water
Purchase Book Only $24.99 El Presidio de San Diego: Excavating Southern California’s Lost City
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