Barrio Viejo

Link to the article

Chinese and Mexican Grocers in Barrio Viejo,” by Kathe Kubish.

El Presidio Real, vol. 20 no. 2 (Winter-Spring 2021) Thank you to the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson Museum for their permission to share this issue of their publication.

About the Author

Kathe Kubish is a citizen historian whose work is based on the statistical analysis and cartographic display of historical records. While working as a property appraiser for the Pima County Assessor’s Office she fell in love with Barrio Viejo (aka Barrio Libre). She was a presenter at the 2029 Arizona History Convention on the topic of Chinese markets and she presented her analysis of the external forces (Great Depression, two World Wars, the advent of the automobile, and shopping malls) affecting the Chinese markets at the annual Arizona Historic Preservation Conference.  Currently, she is a docent at the Presidio San Augustin del Tucson.

Examples of her Maps and Charts:

Map of Barrio Viejo (aka Barrio Libre). Source: Kathy Kubish
Map of the Chinese and Mexican markets in Barrio Viejo (aka Barrio Libre) based on the 1919 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Tucson. Source: Kathe Kubish
Chart illustrating the length of time Chinese and Mexican markets stayed in business. Source: Kathe Kubish
Historic overview of the Chinese markets of Barrio Viejo (aka Barrio Libre) linked to historic events. Source: Kathy Kubish