{"product_id":"storied-property-maria-cordovas-casa-hardcover","title":"Storied Property: María Cordova's Casa - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eLydia R. Otero\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRECLAIMING A LOCAL STORY AND THE WOMAN THAT HISTORY CAST ASIDE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the heart of downtown Tucson, Arizona, stands La Casa Cordova, an adobe structure located in the Tucson Museum of Art's Historic Block. Often described as the oldest building in the city, its story is far more complicated than timelines suggest.​\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e​\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eStoried Property: María Cordova's Casa, \u003c\/em\u003e historian and memoirist Lydia R. Otero uncovers the layered history of a home that once belonged to María Navarrete Cordova (1895-1975), who considered herself the rightful heir and authority over the house and the surrounding area's history. Located within the original boundaries of the Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón, the property held both personal and historical significance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e​\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor decades, María Cordova appeared in local newspapers, offering her version of the past and highlighting her family's contributions. She also ran the Cordova Brothers Smoke Shop with her family from their home. In 1972, under the banner of urban renewal, she was removed from the property through eminent domain. She and her family fought back in court, one of the few cases in Tucson where residents tried to resist condemnation. They lost. Their forced removal, however, cleared the way for preservationists to redefine the space. A few years later, the house reopened as a Mexican museum, complete with exposed adobe walls, packed earth floors, and borrowed period furnishings. María's presence was erased.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e​\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eStoried Property\u003c\/em\u003e returns María Cordova to the center of the story. Not as a symbol, but as a strategist, business owner, and property holder who understood the stakes. Through primary documents such as court records, maps, newspaper coverage, and María Cordova's own words, Otero offers a critical, unflinching account of the house's background, Cordova's claims, and the limits imposed by a society that relies so heavily on property deeds to validate history. It also traces how urban renewal and preservation efforts worked in tandem on a contested structure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e​\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten by a historian rooted in the community, \u003cem\u003eStoried Property\u003c\/em\u003e is both a critique and a reclamation of a local story about a woman who deserves more than a footnote. It asks what it means to preserve a structure while erasing the people who gave it life and reminds us that what is remembered and what is erased is never accidental. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe book also includes a QR code that gives readers access to archival materials such as historical documents, articles, and drone footage of the area.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 242\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.69 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 04, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52915088195891,"sku":"9781734118063","price":84.76,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/VaOUThGeEX9781734118063.webp?v=1767254311","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/en-ca\/products\/storied-property-maria-cordovas-casa-hardcover","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}