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Almost 250 years ago, as the Declaration of Independence was signed on the East Coast, the Anza expedition arrived at its destination on the West Coast. Both of these events would dramatically shape the cultural and political landscapes of the United States.
On the 250th anniversary of the expedition, we invite you to join us in honoring the Hispanic, Latine, and Afro-Latine heritage of Arizona and California and explore how colonial expansion continues to impact Indigenous people’s lands and lifeways. By understanding how the expedition shaped the histories of California and Arizona, we can unpack the complexities of our past and strive for a better, more equitable future for all.
How can you commemorate Anza 250? We hope the resources on this page will inspire you to get involved in grassroots commemorations from October 2025 to June 2026.
Guiding principles
The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail’s role in the Anza 250 commemorative years is to support and inspire community-led efforts. Our guiding principles that unite these efforts are the following:
- Indigenous Relationships: Co-stewardship and tribal engagement are foundational to the commemoration.
- Open Engagement and Active Collaboration: Like co-stewardship, community partnerships are central to a successful commemoration. We invite co-creation in the development and implementation of commemorative activities with our communities and partners.
- Inclusive History: We will commemorate the full history of the trail, illuminating new stories and expanding our understanding and interpretation of traditional narratives.
- Access and Accessibility: We actively eliminate barriers and discriminatory practices to ensure a greater sense of belonging for all. Universal design principles should be fully integrated throughout the planning and execution of all Anza 250 commemoration efforts to enable all people to exercise their civic rights to events and programs that we support.
- Relevance: We promote transformative experiences that reflect the complexity and breadth of our trail’s natural resources, history, and people. We help audiences find meaning and belonging through experiences that challenge them to consider their role in civic responsibility, democracy, and national identity in the natural and cultural places that we steward.
Download templates
- Print templates (to come):
- Pop-up exhibit
- Event invitations
- Banners
- Digital templates (to come):
- Commemorative logo and graphics package
- Social media graphics and text
- Arc of Dialogue Toolkit (to come)
- Interpretive program outlines. Topics include:
- Climate change (to come)
- Urbanization
- Human migration (to come)
Commemorate in your community
Events are listed from individual-level to community-level participation.
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Bring a friend to visit part of the trail you haven’t yet explored. (Interpretive themes 1, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Organize a hike, bike ride, run, or nature walk in your community centered on one of the interpretive themes. Choose one of three topics from our one-page interpretive program outlines: climate change, urbanization, and human migration. (1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Host a digital event: Use the commemorative social media templates to organize an event through Facebook where people from all over can participate remotely. Check out the Anza Trail Virtual Fun Run as an example. (2, 6, 7, 8)
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Organize a day of clean-up or conservation along the trail. Kick off the event using one of the one-page interpretive program outlines. (5, 6, 8)
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Bring an expert to a recreational event. You could bring binoculars and a birding expert, bring a compass and a navigational expert, bring a telescope and an astronomer, or bring fishing rods and an expert angler. (3, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Start a relationship with another organization and collaborate on an event or exhibit that brings your communities together. (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Partner with your local historic site for an educational event. Host a dialogue with the Arc of Dialogue toolkit. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Host a watch party to view the “Stories from the Anza Trail” video series and facilitate a discussion afterwards. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Organize a community art exhibit: Call for local artists to show their work depicting life in your community in the present day. (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8)
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Host a heritage festival. Celebrate local culture and music by bringing together vendors, food trucks, and musicians. (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
- Certify a qualifying recreation trail in your community as the Anza recreational retracement trail (1, 6, 7)
- The network of trails that became the expedition route and the Anza trail have existed for millennia as indigenous pathways.
- The Anza expedition history represents the universal theme of people crossing great distances and enduring tremendous hardships in the hopes of finding a better life for themselves and their families.
- The colonists’ diverse cultural backgrounds laid the foundation for what California would become.
- Generations of people living in what is now California have been and continue to be impacted by the colonial actions of the Spanish Empire. Particularly, colonization came at the expense of the indigenous peoples through subjugation and the taking of land.
- The Anza expedition, and the resulting colonization, was a major catalyst for change in natural and cultural landscapes.
- Today, the trail weaves through landscapes layered with biological and cultural significance; the trail is a thread connecting communities, ecosystems, and a great diversity of people.
- The Anza trail and its development connect people and cultures through time. The embodied experience of traversing the trail creates a setting for deeper dialogue about colonization, changing landscapes, and cultural heritage.
- The Anza trail and its development can serve as a setting for understanding and healing through stewardship, service, recreation, dialogue, and the sharing of space and stories.
Now that you know what type of event you’d like to host, the next step is to plan it. Follow these steps for a successful Anza 250 commemorative event. (List was adapted from the National Trails Day Event Host Guide.)
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Set a goal. What outcome are you hoping for? A clear objective will help guide your plans. Possible goals could include:
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Introduce your community members to the Anza Trail.
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Create a safe space for learning and dialogue.
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Increase access to outdoor recreation for underprivileged communities in your area.
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Certify a new segment of trail in your community.
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Make your event available to all. Work with local community leaders and Indigenous groups to plan the event.
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Decide who will participate. What demographics will help you reach your goal and ensure the event is equitable? Participants could include:
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Choose activities. Your event could include one or many activities, such as:
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A trail cleanup
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Children's games
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Educational exhibits
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Food and drinks
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Find a location. You may want to consider:
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Accessibility – Does public transit stop at your location? If not, is there enough parking available?
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Permission – Do you have permission to host an event at the desired location? Consider whether you need to pay a fee or request a permit.
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Reach out to partners. Planning an event is easier when you combine resources. Partnering also expands the network of people your event will reach.
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Define and assign tasks. What tasks are essential for your event to be a success, and who will help accomplish them? Tasks may include:
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Gather supplies. What are the physical items you need to accomplish the goals of your event?
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Exhibits and signs
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Brochures, stickers, and pins
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Tents, tables, and chairs
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A/V equipment
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Trash bags and cans
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Toilets and washing stations
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Promote the event.
Anza 250 commemorative event calendar
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