From the time you first encounter a native rock painting on a rugged hillside or enjoy a passionate mariachi ballad, this region's culture begins to work its charms.

It's modern, yet eternal - an assemblage of cultural treasures that give Southern Arizona its unique sense of place.

This wonderful blend of Native American, Spanish, Western Pioneer and Mexican reveals distinct styles that authentically reflect the traditions of a dramatic and perse region.

Tucson's past is lively and complex, said James Big Jim Griffith, former director of the University of Arizona's Southwest Folklore Center. Griffith founded the Tucson Meet Yourself folk festival 38 years ago as a way to celebrate the living traditional arts of the Arizona-Sonora region.

If you were to peel away from Tucson our desert and mountain scenery, our sunsets, our resorts and even our museums, there still would be plenty left to please and fascinate, Griffith said.