Building upon the traditions of the Agua Caliente people and the world-renowned natural features of their ancestral lands, the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza in downtown Palm Springs, California, encompasses a wide range of experiences and learning opportunities that convey the values and legacy of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, and shares these experiences with the community and visitors from around the world.

The 5.8-acre Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza includes the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum that features permanent exhibition space dedicated to the history and culture of the Agua Caliente people, The Spa at Séc-he that celebrates the Tribe’s ancient Agua Caliente Hot Mineral Spring, a Gathering Plaza, and an Oasis Trail.

The Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza outdoor spaces include the Gathering Plaza adjacent to the Agua Caliente Hot Mineral Spring, originally known as Séc-he (the Cahuilla term for “the sound of boiling water”). The Oasis Trail provides an interactive, cultural learning environment. This trail mimics, on a smaller scale, the distinctive character, geology, flora, and beauty of the nearby Tahquitz Canyon and Indian Canyons, ancestral homes of the Agua Caliente people.

“The Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza provides an incredible opportunity for us to share and celebrate our history, culture, and traditions with this community and visitors from around the world,” Tribal Chairman Reid D. Milanovich said. “Each federally recognized tribe throughout this country has a distinct culture that includes traditions, language, historic clothing, and housing styles as well as historical food and medicine preparations. We want to share our culture with visitors through our authentic voice. This is our story, in our own voice. We are here today just like we have been since time immemorial.”

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is an historic Palm Springs based federally recognized Indian tribe with more than 500 members. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is steward to more than 34,032 acres of ancestral land. The cities of Palm Springs, Cathedral City, and Rancho Mirage as well as portions of unincorporated Riverside County span across the boundaries of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation.

Singing the Birds

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians hosts an annual festival each January where bird singers and dancers from tribes across Southern California and the Southwest gather to celebrate and share with the public the region’s abundant Native American heritage.

More than 5,000 singers, dancers, and guests converge on Palm Springs High School for the free-to-the-public Singing the Birds: Bird Song and Dance Festival. Mark your calendar and get your tickets for the next festival coming up on January 25, 2025. Learn more at aguacaliente.org.