INDIGENOUS LIFE AND MODERNIZATION

Our unit on Cultural Heritage and Modern Lifestyles explores both the opportunities and challenges that arise when traditions meet contemporary life. On one side, students consider how communities honor long-standing heritage, while on the other, they examine how people engage with a rapidly changing, interconnected world.

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This unit highlights ancestral foodways of the Southwest through the Old Town Artisans Mural Project in downtown Tucson, AZ. Students explore fourteen traditional foods of the region using interactive AR and VR features, which include the voices of elders and cultural knowledge keepers from local communities.

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The purpose of this project is to create meaningful connections, allowing students and the public to experience the stories and legacies of diverse cultural communities.

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The unit also looks at how ancestral traditions are preserved and celebrated in contemporary settings—for example, through restaurant menus, local markets that provide economic support, and cooking demonstrations led by Native chefs.