09/14/2026
Filmmaker Luis Valle To Screen Anza 250 Documentary in Yuma
Yuma, AZ – On Monday, September 21st, 2026, at 3 p.m., the Yuma Main Library and the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area will host documentary filmmaker Luis Valle for a free screening of “Anza 250: A Documentary,” immediately followed by a discussion and Q&A with Valle.
Valle's bilingual documentary follows his long-distance bicycle journey to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Anza Expedition by retracing what is known today as the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.
“While the United States declared their independence from England 250 years ago, a very different story was playing out in the West,” said Tammy Snook, of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area. “Here in present-day Arizona and California, Spain emerged as the colonial power establishing a foothold in the region.”
Spain attempted to secure their land claims in the West by establishing a string of missions along the coast of California. As part of this effort, they sought a land route from Mexico City to the coast of Alta (Upper) California, rather than relying exclusively upon travel by ship.
Spain tasked Captain Juan Bautista de Anza with “discovering” this route. To that end, in 1774, Anza followed indigenous guides and trails to become the first Spaniard to make and record this long-distance land trek from New Spain to Alta California.
The following year, in 1775, Anza led an epic colonial expedition of over 240 men, women, and children over 1,400 miles from Horcasitas, Mexico, through the Yuma Crossing, and on to San Francisco Bay. Arriving at the bay in late spring 1776, Anza and the colonists established Spain’s newest mission and presidio (fort), which eventually became the City of San Francisco.
