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| Mouse over a thumbnail image/date below to learn how Mercado District's planners drew inspiration from Tucson's history. |
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 An early farming community is established, and eventually a system of irrigation canals—as in this Hohokam village circa 1350—brings water from the Santa Cruz River to the tribe's farmland. |
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2500 BC - 1700 AD |
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| The major streets in Mercado District—identified in red in the site plan on the right—are laid out along the ancient canal system, left. |
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 Father Francisco Kino discovers the ideal spot for a chapel and, later, an entire compound, including the Convento del San Augustin—the ruins shown here, adjacent to Mercado District. |
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1700 |
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| The "Avenida del Convento," indicated in red in the diagram on the left and in conceptual view on the right, terminates in a view of the historic site, the proposed location of Tucson's Origins Heritage Park. |
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 Spanish Colonists use local materials, such as adobe, to build in the styles of their European home, as with the Mission San Xavier del Bac, south of Tucson. |
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1775 |
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| Made of materials authentic to the Southwest, such as locally made adobe bricks like those in the wall on the left, Mercado District's buildings—such as the home conceptually illustrated on the right—are responsive to the desert environment. | |||
 Arizona becomes a territory of the United States. Tucson sees the arrival of American pioneers. Their goods, skills, and culture increase architectural diversity in the town. |
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1853 |
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| Adobe row houses and brick bungalows, like the 1850s Tucson home shown left and the new homes illustrated right, line the same residential streets in Mercado District. |
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 The arrival of the railroad brings a flood of new residents to Tucson. Adobe homes are expanded with porches and high ceilings. The barrio emerges, row houses and courtyard apartments line the streets, and Tucson thrives. |
1880 |
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| Traditional Hispanic town planning concepts like public plazas and shared courtyards form community gathering places and centers for commerce. Pitched roofs and front porches echo Territorial design. |
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 Traditional western neighborhoods arise as people build houses to sell or rent. Downtown Tucson is home to people from diverse backgrounds and incomes. |
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1900 - 1940 |
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| A variety of options in the Mercado District (from loft apartments to custom homes) and a range of prices ensure a diverse neighborhood with alternative transportation, similar to the streetcar offered in Tucson in 1900. |
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 The core of the city center is bulldozed to make way for modern buildings and wide boulevards. Most of the housing is lost, as is the ability to walk and shop in established neighborhood stores. Downtown is abandoned daily after the close of business. |
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1960s |
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| The Mercado District has tree-lined sidewalks and public plazas, making the walk itself worth a trip to the store, just as it was on Congress Street in downtown Tucson in 1930. |
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 In 2004, both an extensive design charrette and archaeological work begins, revealing in bits and pieces Mercado District's rich history, providing the context for the new neighborhood's authentic design. |
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2004 |
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| In 2006, onsite infrastructure work is completed both above and below ground. Mercado District celebrates its groundbreaking as home and commercial/mixed-use construction begins. |
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 The first Mercado District of Menlo Park homes are available for occupancy in 2007. The neighborhood features a variety of homes building from Tucson's rich architectural heritage. |
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2007 |
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| Mercado District's first mixed-use building will be ready for occupancy in 2008. And as the neighborhood builds out over the next few years, residents and visitors alike will find the vital linkage to Tucson's past. |
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