Let’s pause a second and soak in the Ortiz House, right here on your right. Built back in 1901, at a time when folks in Yuma were starting to think about “modern” living-meaning, maybe not quite as dusty, cramped, or overheated as before. The Ortiz House is key to that story. Notice its long, narrow shape: two neat rows of rooms split by a central hallway, or zaguan, which was a popular solution in this part of Arizona when air conditioning wasn’t even a wild dream yet.
Picture it-summer of 1901. The air shimmers with desert heat, maybe someone inside is fanning themselves and sipping lemonade that probably cost a penny, equal to about 35 cents today-still a solid deal. The Ortiz family would have heard boots on that hall’s floor, greetings drifting from room to room, and neighborhood gossip filtering in. This design popped up in other homes across Yuma, helping shape the city’s vibe as it grew up around the railroad and river.
If you’re ready for a bit more grandeur, the Yuma County Courthouse is coming up. Walk north about 4 minutes.
