Arivaca
by Jane St. Clair
Arivaca feels authentic. It doesn’t have a touristy vibe. It’s not trying to be quaint but it is. Arivaca’s a real Western town that’s been there since the 1840s.
Native peoples have been living there for centuries.
Arivaca has a really interesting bar and café, La Gitano Cantina It’s a place where people have always a good time – even today, they have music and dancing. You’re supposed to be able to find bullet holes and bloodstains on the walls. Since the bartender not only used to serve drinks but also pull teeth with his pliers, the bloodstains may be from dental work.
Who knows.
Apparently one of the owners of La Gitano loved being at his place so much that he had his ashes put into the barroom wall.
The school house dating back to 1870 is the oldest standing one in Arizona. Then there’s the general store, Arivaca Mercantile, where ranchers still get supplies. A Catholic church, the usual post office, library, and medical clinic. A few houses.
A REALLY Wild West-looking grill just outside of town.
Believe it or not, the biggest problem that held back the development of Arivaca was mosquitos. After some residents got malaria in the 1930s, the State Department of Health investigated. By introducing Gambusia fish in various ponds and other water areas, the authorities got the mosquitos under control.
The ruins of the Ruby mine and ghost town are about six miles from Arivaca. You can visit it if the caretakers are around (they keep weird hours). However, the road to the mine is very rough and not suitable for a regular car – you’d need a truck or some such vehicle to get through patches of rocks and ravines.
What’s really interesting about this area is the scenery. It doesn’t look like your classic Arizona landscape. No castle mountains like Sedona. No jagged outlines like the Catalinas. And nothing like the forests of Flagstaff. This part of the state, very close to Mexico, has a rocky ruggedness of wilderness that’s beautiful in its own way.
If you like exploring wilderness, you can hike in the Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge. You may be lucky enough to spot animals and birds you probably won’t see in other parts of the state. 
The hiking’s great, the scenery’s wonderful, and Arivaca’s interesting.
Did I mention the La Gitano Cantina?