Congratulations to Dr. Michael M. Brescia in his recent role as Guest Editor for the Journal of Arizona History!
Recognizing the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Spanish presidio at Tucson, this issue of Journal of Arizona History (Autumn 2025, Vol. 66, No. 3) is devoted to Arizona before 1820. The articles in the issue cover the long history of Indigenous civilization and the more recent history of Spanish colonization. The Spanish introduced new technologies, crops, livestock, diseases and religious beliefs that caused great change in how people lived. An important theme through the entire issue is how both Indigenous peoples and Europeans adapted to these changes and to each other.
The Journal of Arizona History is the quarterly, peer-reviewed journal of record for Arizona history. It publishes original research articles on the history and culture of Arizona and the surrounding region (the U.S. Southwest and the US-Mexico borderlands region). Each issue also includes a robust book-review section featuring 8-10 reviews of important new scholarly texts. Although mostly focused on one state, the Journal of Arizona History seeks to be historiographically relevant to scholars of western and borderlands history.
In addition to having written the introduction, Dr. Brescia wrote the epilogue and an essay titled “The Coin Drop Hard Round the World: Arizona-Sonora ‘Goodwill’ and the American Revolution.” This special issue also included essays by Dr. Thomas E. Sheridan, Dr. Anton Daughters, ASM’s Dr. Edward A. Jolie, and numerous other scholars.
Dr. Brescia serves on the Southwestern Mission Research Center’s (SMRC) board of directors, is Curator of Ethnohistory and Head of Research at the Arizona State Museum (ASM), and Professor of History at the University of Arizona.
Look for upcoming article reviews from this special issue in the SMRC Revista. And, as always, a job well-done Dr. Brescia!