Gloria Alvarez Gomez grew up in this neighborhood, playing down on Calle Sur at her grandmother’s house, and she remembers when this place used to be a movie theater. She laughed as she recalled trying to sneak in to see E.T.
But that was almost 45 years ago, and she never imagined this moment back then. The Old Pascua neighborhood is seeing more change this year than it has in a long time. Today this place is tribal land, it’s a busy construction site for a new casino, and Gloria is now an elected member of the tribal council, helping to govern what this place becomes.
“We’ve come a long ways and that’s something that I will always carry: playing here at one time and now seeing what it brings for the future,” she said in her speech to a crowd on the top level of the new parking garage during a Feb. 9 ceremony to light up the dome at the new Casino Del Sol Vahi Taa’am location at Grant Road and Fairview Avenue.
The casino will have slots, table games including blackjack, roulette and craps, and sports betting, as well as several restaurants. It’s already bringing hundreds of construction jobs and soon will bring casino jobs.
In the background of the lighting ceremony, a huge video billboard facing Interstate 10 enticed passersby with a “coming soon” sizzle reel and promotions for an Ice Cube concert in April. After the ceremony, fireworks boomed in the sky over the Old Pascua neighborhood and construction workers, cater-waiters and elected officials all turned to watch together.
The new 40-foot dome is clad with perforated copper that lets 55 high-tech programmable lights shine through in any and every color.
The name Vahi Taa’am (pronounced vah-hee tah-ahm) means “three suns” in the Yoeme language, and tribal members shared at least three things the dome symbolizes to them, and spoke in three languages: Yoeme, English and Spanish.
“It’s a belief that light represents guidance, protection and truth,” Alvarez Gomez said. “It’s also a reminder that even in the times of darkness, our people have always carried knowledge, faith and resilience forward.”
A symbol of prosperity
Vahi Taa’am is the tribe’s third casino property, after Casino Del Sol and Casino of the Sun. It will be a 163,000-square-foot property with a 52,334-square-foot gaming floor. Construction began in January 2025 and is expected to be complete in November.
In his opening prayer, maestro (lay priest) David Garcia Dominguez lit a candle and said a prayer for “employment, economic growth, and vibrant energy.”
Tribal council members told the crowd the new revenues from the casino will help the tribe with “new opportunities and a brighter future,” including the expansion of health care services and education programs.
A symbol of resilience
The dome glowed red during the ceremony as people in the audience cheered and applauded. The ceremonial candle flickered in the wind.
“The light that is gonna be shown from the dome, it’s very symbolic of many things: of generations, of our people, of our strength, and really the perseverance to continue our culture and traditions,” council member Andrea Gonzales said in a speech.
“We see light in many spaces, not only in our faith, like you see in our candle that’s lit here, but also in our culture and traditions — light coming from the sun, our mother moon, and also our stars that also represent our ancestors,” she said, using the Yoeme words for each in turn. “The light that comes from this will be a reminder and I do want to thank all of our leaders present and past council who got this casino going and all leaders who have contributed. … It really has been generations and generations of our people who have led to this day.”
A symbol of homecoming
The area, known as Old Pascua, has been important to the tribe for hundreds of years and it became a designated tribal community in the 1920s. It includes an important chapel, the Capilla San Ignacio de Loyola, which serves as a Yaqui cultural center and the site of Easter ceremonies and other ceremonial fiestas.
When the federal government recognized the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in 1978, the desert land it granted was in Southern Arizona — but Old Pascua wasn’t part of it.
The tribe eventually purchased the land after the movie theater closed, and then about 30 acres were placed in trust to benefit the tribe through the Old Pascua Community Land Acquisition Act of 2022 — and that also allowed gaming on the property. At the time, then-chair Peter Yucupicio described it as “a restoration of part of our homeland.”
Gloria Alvarez Gomez spoke to the crowd about that at the dome lighting.
“This light stands as a symbol of who we are as Yoeme,” she said. “To remember where we come from and where we continue to be walking forward together. It reflects the strength of our community, the prayers that were spoken for future generations, and the responsibility we hold to honor our ways.”
“Most importantly, we want to acknowledge our ancestors and the community members who have passed on and who first carried their vision in their hearts,” Alvarez Gomez said, tearing up. “Their prayers, the sacrifices and teachings are the reason why we stand here today. The light is for them and for our children yet to come. May this always remind us that we walk with humility, purpose and unity, and to continue shining for one another.”
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