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Las Mañanitas – Anita Street Market

6/10/2024

This sketch of the Anita Street Market is also a long overdue tribute to a neighborhood landmark. North of downtown Tucson, this market is still a vibrant family run business in the Barrio Anita. “The market is loved and respected by the residents of the barrio. Burritos are a crowd favorite at Anita's and the tortillas made there have become well-known beyond the barrio's limits. Gracie Soto…inherited the business from her nana Grace Soto, the founder of Anita’s Street Market.” (Arizona Republic – 12/22/23)

This sketch is a tribute to the Soto family and to all the long-lost barrio businesses gone to the ravages of urban renewal and other changes to downtown Tucson. Years ago, I took my University Medical Center Planning staff to the Market for my birthday lunch during a very hot August day. There are no tables in the tiny market, but there is a metal shade structure next to the market where we sat and enjoyed lunch - although sweating profusely. The food was wonderful, but we were not sure how much longer we could sit under the radiant heat of the shade structure. Soon, the Soto family came out with refreshments, and then Abuelito Soto sang the Mexican birthday song, “Las Mañanitas” for us. At that point, the heat was no longer an issue.

Long live the Anita Street Market!

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Callejón de las Flores

6/10/2024

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Originally named “Flower Alley” during Tucson’s Spanish period, Meyer Street is one of those classic downtown streets that draws artists as they attempt to draw the street. I could not find any reference for why it was called the “Alley of the Flowers”, but since it is such a picturesque street, I would like to think it was where Tucson’s early residents could buy flowers. The street name was later changed to Meyer Street to honor the “…German-born soldier and politician, Charles H. Meyer (b.1829- d.1907). He came to Arizona with the US Army and settled in Tucson in 1858. While living in Tucson, he was the town druggist, a justice of the peace, and implemented chain gang labor to clean city streets.” (City of Tucson Historic Preservation Office, 2012: “Early Historic Streets (ca. 1775-1940)”. Now it is North Meyer Avenue in keeping with the Tucson mandate that north/south roads are “avenues” and east/west roads are “streets”. Most Tucson watercolor artists are attracted to the corner market at Meyer and Franklin (212 W Franklin) which was built around 1880 as a typical Sonoran style corner market. Later the pyramidal roof and living quarters were added with a corner steel post placed more recently for structural support for the addition over the entry.

The Corner Market - 212 W. Franklin (Meyer and Franklin)

Approximately 40 years ago, Lindy and I had considered buying the structure at 396 N Meyer when we knew several of the residents in the neighborhood. At the time, the building was essentially an abandoned ruin with no plumbing, rudimentary electrical, no interior finishes and a bare dirt backyard. However its thick adobe walls and majestic hipped roof were appealing. So, we had dinner with our friends next door and then camped in the vacant building using a recently acquired steel frame bed. It was a sleepless night and shortly after, I came down with a mysterious illness that removed any plans for acquiring and renovating the structure. However, ever since that time, we have wondered what it would have been like to live on the “Callejón de las Flores”

These sketches are my long-overdue tribute to a lovely Tucson street that has become filled with wildflowers.