Tucson

Tucson is a city of Arizona located 118 miles SE of the state capital Phoenix. It has a population of 526,000.

The region was first settled by Native American Indians approximately 12,000 years ago. Later, in the 18th century, Spanish missionaries established a mission and a settlement that would later become Tucson. The town became a part of the United States in 1854, with the Gadsden Purchase, which allowed the railroads to connect with the Midwest and California.

The University of Arizona was established in 1885 in Tucson. Tucson was capital of Arizona for some time and until about 1930, Phoenix was smaller than its sister city.

Tucson became an nationally famous winter tourist site during the 1920s. Troubled by economic stagnation, the Chamber of Commerce, the Tucson Sunshine-Climate Club, and the Arizona Polo Association did market surveys and inaugurated magnet events, like La Fiesta de los Vaqueros; they even built tourist facilities, like El Conquistador Hotel. The efforts were successful and tourism became a mainstay of the economy by 1930, and remains so into the 21st century.

Chinese

Chinese and Mexican merchants and farmers transcended racial differences to form 'guanxi,' kith relations of friendship and trust. Chinese leased land from Mexicans, operated grocery stores, and aided compatriots attempting to enter the United States from Mexico after the Mexican Revolution in 1910. Chinese merchants supplied General John Pershing's army in its expedition against Pancho Villa. Successful Chinese in Tucson led a viable community based on social integration, friendship, and kinship.

Further reading

• Logan, Michael F. Desert Cities: The Environmental History of Phoenix and Tucson. (2006). 240 pp.
• Sheridan, Thomas E. Los Tucsonenses: The Mexican Community in Tucson, 1854-1941. (1986). 327 pp.