The Rio Rico Mural

Created by local artist Robert White

The Rio Rico Historical Society commissioned local artist Robert White to create the Rio Rico Mural. It first premiered at our first Rio Rico History Museum at the Rio Rico Plaza on July 17, 2018. Currently, it hangs at our newest museum location at 1149 West Frontage Road.

In his painting, Robert White depicts themes from our area, starting with the earliest beginnings, when we were under water longer than we were dry land. Trilobites swam the Cambrian seas, as the continents collided, and volcanoes spewed lava and ash to form dry land. Dinosaurs and then mammals roamed the southwest. Camels and the horse first evolved in North America. Paleo-Indians hunted the mighty mammoth. The Tohono O’Odham Pima and Apaches Native American tribes call this area home.

Next portrayed in this mural is the arrival of the conquistadors, missionaries, and miners. Lands were granted for settlement and cattle ranching. The Calabasas townsite blossomed for a short duration. Arrival of the railroad brought new prosperity and communities to flourish. Modern Rio Rico started developing in 1969 successfully and rapidly. Business plazas, golf courses, movie making, and the I-19 corridor as the gateway to Mexico, brought tourists and many new residents.

This incredible mural is a reflection of life in Rio Rico through the eyes of a gifted artist in our community. Please visit our museum to enjoy it up close.

Submitted by Helen Serras-Herman, RRHS Past President