Arizona Illustrated

In the summer of 2019, a stretch of a long-dry riverbed in the heart of Tucson was reborn. Here’s a look at the Santa Cruz. On March 17, 2018 Pima County celebrated the completion of the "The Loop" – a system of more than 100 miles of paved pathways that runs in Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley, South Tucson and unincorporated Pima County. It began after the historic floods of 1983 as a way of building banks to try to prevent future catastrophic floods so the recreational component was added which serves pedestrians, bicyclists and equestrians. In the 1990s, U.S. Border Patrol implemented policies that increased enforcement in urban areas, leading migrants to cross in remote, dangerous terrain. Since then, more than 3000 human remains have been found in Southern Arizona and thousands of people are missing. Local artist Alvaro Enciso has made it his goal to remember and honor the lives of the migrants who have died in the Sonoran Desert. Every week, he goes out with a group of volunteers from the Tucson Samaritans to place crosses at the exact location where the remains where found. Thus far, he has honored more than 800 lives. Since many remains are unidentified, the families will never know about the crosses. However, sometimes Alvaro is able to connect with the families with the help of the Colibrí Center for Human Rights.