Presidio Museum’s Salon & Saloon Lecture: Chinese and Mexican Markets of the Barrio Viejo

Barrio Viejo is Tucson’s second oldest neighborhood. During its nearly 100 years in existence, generations of residents lived, worked – and shopped – within barrio boundaries.  Grocery stores, bakeries and “meat stores” were an essential component of barrio existence, and they have a fascinating history.  For decades, Chinese and Mexican markets existed side by side. Some specialized, many others simply supplied  everyday needs.  Some lasted a few years, others, decades.

Presented by Kathe Kubish, this lecture reflects 3 years of research, hundreds of spread sheets and way too many graphs!  It will lead the viewer through 70 years of marketplace history – from 1881 to the end of World War II – in Tucson’s most ethnically diverse and colorful neighborhood.

Born and raised in Arizona and Tucson resident with a degree in anthropology, Kathe worked on archaeological digs in Tucson, New Mexico and Belize during the 1970’s and ‘80’s.  Also a draftsman, photographer and darkroom technician, she subsequently worked as a property appraiser with the Pima County Assessor’s office for 30 years, falling in love with Tucson’s Barrio Viejo in the process. She is now a full-time volunteer and citizen historian.

Photo: mural at Jerry’s Lee Ho Market honoring the relationship of the Chinese market within the Mexican community