Life history and perspectives of 69-year-old Tucson born and raised female, January 24, 1990; Tucson, Arizona

Life history and perspectives of 69-year-old Tucson born and raised female, January 24, 1990; Tucson, Arizona

A sixty-nine-year-old woman born and raised in Tucson, Arizona talks about her life history and experiences. She begins by talking about her parents, who were from Michoacán, Mexico, and who moved around looking for work before settling in Tucson. The interviewee was born in 1920 in Tucson at home. Her father worked with the Southern Pacific Railroad in Tucson and her mother worked for a short time with the Laos family. She also explains that she dropped out of high school to help her parents make ends meet. Further along in the interview, she comments on the eviction of Mexican residents by landlords in the downtown area in the 1950s to make way for lawyers and artists, and mentions the names of several dancehalls and businesses that used to be in the downtown area. These businesses include: the Blue Moon, La Alianza, and The Riverside. She also recounts what courtship was like in the 1940s, and talks about the dynamics between men and women at dances and parties. Her husband was a pachuco, so she explains style trends and discusses how pachucas dressed and were distinguished from other women.

Cummings, Laura (Laura Lee)

Dr. Laura Lee Cummings Pachuco/Caló Oral History Project Collection (MS 592). Special Collections, University of Arizona Libraries.

University of Arizona Libraries

60 minutes

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mp3

Pachuco, Spanish

sound recording - nonmusical

MS592.15

azu_ms592_tape15

audiocassette

60 minutes