TUCSON, AZ — Another stop on ABC15's mission to capture the voice of our state's voters is the Old Pueblo — Tucson, Arizona, today is a true blend of past and present.
Nestled in the Sonoran Desert, the city is a melting pot of influences, whether Mexican, Native, Spanish, American, and beyond. It's a community that prides itself on creativity, individuality, and a strong connection to the land and heritage.
Inside the walls of the historic Sosa-Carrillo-Fremont House, local historian Mauro Trejo shared with ABC15's Amelia Fabiano a story of the past.
"If your family's been here for more than, you know, 125 years, then we're probably related," Trejo said. "Through my grandfather's mother's side, we go back to 1780."
This story is part of ABC15's Voice of the Voter series, where we're highlighting voter perspectives from communities all across Arizona. To see more Voice of the Voter coverage, click here.
Hundreds of years and seven generations bring his family's story, and Tucson's, to the present day.
"[Tucson] doesn't feel like Phoenix, it doesn't feel like Flagstaff, it doesn't feel like Yuma," Trejo said. "It's different because of the way we developed and the people that are here."
The way the city developed is a complex journey.
The area started as a small Spanish presidio, or military fort, in 1775 to secure the area from the Apache. It eventually transitioned to Mexican control, then, through the Gadsden Purchase, American control.
"The more you dig into it, too, the more you realize how complicated history is," Trejo said. "Nothing is black and white, nothing is easy, nothing is what you originally thought it was."
As you stroll through the city today, you can see the push and pull of yesterday versus today: colorful, adobe homes spared from the wrecking ball in the historic neighborhoods, or barrios, after many hadn't been so lucky to make room for the Tucson Convention Center in the 1970s.
Folklore shrine El Tiradito and nearby El Minuto Cafe are local symbols that have also stood the test of time and urban redevelopment.
Teresa Shaar's beloved family-owned cafe has been in business for just shy of a century.
"The Doubletree moved in across the street there and blocked my view of the mountains and blocked my view of the church there, and of the cathedral," she said.
She remembers watching her mother work at the cafe from across the street inside their home until that, too, was torn down.
"Once the convention center got going and there were so many concerts, we were really busy, even though I was upset about all the houses they tore down to build a convention center next door there, but it does help out now," Shaar said.
Also woven into Tucson, perhaps now as deeply as the city's historical roots, is the University of Arizona.
Dr. Richard Carmona, the 17th Surgeon General of the United States, has witnessed firsthand the significant impact of the school on the city, and beyond.
"The university really is the center of the universe down here," Dr. Carmona said. "I think the beauty of the University of Arizona and what we teach our students, of course, is to be open-minded, to be professional, to welcome different ideas, and hopefully defeat some of the hyper-partisanship that we have today in our world."
The university's global reach and commitment to tackling issues like outer space, water, and climate change are integral to Tucson's identity and progress.
Also playing a role in the city's cultural and political landscape is the nearby Mexico border.
"It is a melting pot, and we, you know, not to say we don't have problems here, there's disagreements. We do struggle with the border issues but, quite frankly, the border issues are political," Dr. Carmona said. "What I see in Tucson is there is an acceptance of diversity that we have here."
After all, diversity and complexity are what built a city that's proud of its heritage, while optimistic about its future.
"It's what people like about Tucson," Trejo said. "It's that sense of community, that sense of culture."
While there are pockets of conservatives, overall, Tucson is largely a more liberal landscape. Its political pulse beats mostly with the progressive rhythm of a college city.
Tucson Political Demographic Breakdown
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to further clarify that Tucson became part of the United States through the Gadsden Purchase.
