The Presidio Trust together with the National Park Service, invites the public to a two-day commemoration of the Presidio’s founding as a Spanish Army post, Pasados del Presidio, June 29-30. The free event honors the heritage of early Californian cultures—Native American, Spanish and Mexican—and the founding of El Presidio de San Francisco in 1776.

Prior to the arrival of Spanish colonists, indigenous tribes of Ohlone people called the Presidio home, with archeological evidence for native villages dating back to 740 A.D. In 1776 the Juan Bautista de Anza Expedition from Sonora and Sinaloa (in modern Mexico) arrived with 191 colonists under the Spanish crown, many of whom were children, and established El Presidio de San Francisco and Mission Dolores. In 1835, the descendants of these and other colonists established the Mexican pueblo of Yerba Buena, which gave rise to a new American city called San Francisco.

Friday June 29

Pasados del Presidio - Afternoon Fun for Kids, 12-3pm, commemorates pre-American Presidio through hands-on learning through crafts, activities, exhibits and live performances. The afternoon kicks off with Ohlone basket weaver, Linda Yamane’s welcome song and continues with performances by Ballet Folklórico Mexicano and Zazpiak Bat Basque Dancers. Activities include grinding corn with a metate, yarn-spinning, examining Ohlone artifacts, coyote mask-making, spending time with farm animals, observing the live archaeology excavation of El Presidio and more.

Saturday June 30

Pasados del Presidio - San Francisco's Birthday, a public ceremony on Saturday, June 30th (10:30 am – noon), descendants of the original founding families of the Juan Bautista de Anza Expedition, called Los Californianos, return to the Presidio on horse-back to commemorate the journey of their ancestors. The program includes formal remarks and a roll call of the men, women and children who made the 1200+ mile trek from New Spain (modern Mexico) to the Golden Gate. Guided history tours start at 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm from the Welcome Desk at the Presidio Officers’ Club.

Create your own tile painting in the Spanish majolica style. Drop in Saturday between 11 am to 3 pm for fun activities, crafts, and learning based on the Presidio’s natural and cultural heritage. If you lived in El Presidio after the Spanish arrived in 1776, you might have eaten your meals on Majolica bowls and plates. Draw inspiration from these beautiful ceramics and design your own Terrific Tile! 

Pasados del Presidio: Special Guided Tours. Our 60-minute guided tours will surprise you with behind-the-scenes Presidio stories and artifacts focusing on the park’s rich Spanish and Mexican heritage. Learn about the early expeditions of people and animals to this area and the indigenous world they encountered. View the adobe walls of the Spanish fort, see Spanish cannons, and watch archaeologists uncover the foundations of the Spanish colonial settlement that was El Presidio de San Francisco.