place

Barrio Libre

Buildings and structures completed in 1885Historic American Buildings Survey in ArizonaHistoric districts on the National Register of Historic Places in ArizonaNRHP infobox with nocatNational Register of Historic Places in Tucson, Arizona
Neighborhoods in Tucson, ArizonaUse mdy dates from August 2023
Barrio Libre (taken on 27Aug2012 16hrs6mins8secs)
Barrio Libre (taken on 27Aug2012 16hrs6mins8secs)

Barrio Libre is a neighborhood in Tucson, Arizona notable for its existence as a relatively unchanged 19th-century Hispanic neighborhood of close-packed row houses. Houses in the barrio are typically adobe with very plain detailing, reflecting the area's history as a district of townhouses for Mexican ranching families. The location of the district shifted through history. In 1881, Barrio Libre was directly south of Tucson's business district. It was known as being where "the lower class of Mexicans and the Papago [Tohono O'odham] and Yaqui Indians held high or low carnival without being interrupted by officers of the law." By 1940, Barrio Libre had shifted south, and the former area was known as La Calle Convento or La Calle Meyer. In 1960, James Officer moved the neighborhood's boundary north to Broadway. Thomas Sheridan's 1986 map of local barrios put Barrio Libre further south, on the other side of 22nd street, though Sheridan noted the vague determinations of Barrio Libre's location. The district, as delineated by the National Park Service, includes more than 200 contributing structures, with relatively few non-conforming buildings. The district is bounded by 14th and 18th streets to the north and south, and by Stone and Osborne to the east and west. Meyer Avenue runs through the center of the barrio. It is also known as Barrio Viejo or the Barrio Histórico. In the late 1960, the Tucson Convention Center was built, obliterating much of the neighborhood. Barrio Libre has a dense population of murals. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1978.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Barrio Libre (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Barrio Libre
South Meyer Avenue, Tucson

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Barrio LibreContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 32.21412 ° E -110.97282 °
placeShow on map

Address

South Meyer Avenue 498
85701 Tucson
Arizona, United States
mapOpen on Google Maps

Barrio Libre (taken on 27Aug2012 16hrs6mins8secs)
Barrio Libre (taken on 27Aug2012 16hrs6mins8secs)
Share experience

Nearby Places

El Tiradito
El Tiradito

El Tiradito is a shrine and popular local spot located at 420 South Main Avenue in the Old Barrio area of Downtown Tucson, Arizona. The shrine consists of the crumbling remains of a brick building, with a large metal rack for candles and desert plants now occupying the interior. Large, glass-encased candles, frequently depicting saints of the Roman Catholic Church are lit and left burning at the shrine, both on the stand and along the ledges of the building. Small slips of paper containing prayers or messages of thanks are also often pressed into cracks in the walls or left elsewhere at the shrine, as are other memorial objects. In addition to the faithful who leave these religious objects, El Tiradito is frequented and favored by many Tucsonans, including writers, poets, and other members of the town's artistic community. According to the Phoenix New Times publication, El Tiradito is the only Catholic shrine in the United States dedicated to a sinner buried in unconsecrated ground. It is said that the man buried there died fighting for the love of a woman. Visitors to this area light candles for the man, hoping his soul will be freed from purgatory. Some of the nooks and crannies of El Tiradito even house the notes and letters of the heartbroken, prayers asking for healing of the heart. El Tiradito was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It was documented in the Historic American Landscapes Survey in 2012.It was described in 2021 as "a three-sided shrine of crumbling adobe walls, small and nondescript, mere streets away from the bustle and noise of downtown Tucson."