Arizona Illustrated

The Santa Cruz Catholic Church on 6th Ave and 22nd Street in Tucson celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019. The Spanish colonial revival building and its distinctive 90-foot bell tower were designed by Bishop Henri Granjon, who reportedly chose the location because he liked to hunt rabbits in the area. When construction began the church was on the southern edge of Tucson’s city limits and was meant to serve the growing Latino population on the south side. The church has a deep architectural, spiritual and cultural history that charts Tucson’s growth over the last century Barbea Williams moved from Chicago to Tucson in the 1970s. She brought with her the annual tradition of celebrating Kwanzaa, the seven-day holiday uniting families and communities to honor their African culture. Not finding other Black Tucsonans who celebrated Kwanzaa, Barbea’s life calling was born. For the past 50 years she has shared the message of Kwanzaa, its principles and festivities throughout Southern Arizona. In a story from 1993, the late Big Jim Griffith takes us to Tucson’ s Nacimiento. Local musician Brian Lopez sings his original holiday ode to Tucson from Hotel Congress.