Los Descendientes will honor Don Alberto Moreno Elias for his continued contributions to and community support in keeping records of the history of the Old Pueblo. Don Elias recently donated his copies of El Tucsonense, an early Spanish-language newspaper, to the University of Arizona’s Special Collections Library. El Tucsonense was founded in 1915 by Francisco S. Moreno, Don Alberto’s grandfather, and later published by his wife, Rosa E. Moreno and their sons. The historic Downtown building in which El Tucsonense was published is now occupied by Don Alberto who named it Old Pueblo Printers. The building is owned by Don Artie Moreno and Don Alberto.
The Current activities of Los Descendientes include an effort to preserve the Marist College Downtown. Built in 1915, it is reputed to be the only three-story adobe building in Arizona. The former school is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and also is listed on Arizona’s Most Endangered Places. The organization is also working to display the Presidio Bell in St. Augustine Cathedral. The bell, also known as the Guadalupe Bell, was cast in 1807 and hung at the Presidio Chapel until the structure fell into disrepair around 1860. It is reported to have pealed at the first San Agustin church and later moved to St. Augustine Cathedral.
Los Descendientes also is working with the Tucson Pima Arts Council and Rancho Chuk Shon to erect a monument honoring Native Americans who lived here when Padre Eusebio Kino arrived in the Tucson area in 1692. Luis Mena is the artist. The bronze statues of a Native American family will be situated at the base of Sentinel Peak (“A” Mountain) at the intersection of West Starr Pass and South Mission Roads.
The organization also sponsored a photographic exhibit by Alejandra Platt-Torres at Arizona State Museum on the University of Arizona campus. The photographs, “A World Separated by Borders,” is on display until Oct. 19.
Los Descendientes is also working with Ryan Sprissler and Dr. John McClelland of the University of Arizona to compare the DNA of Lt. Col. Jose Maria Martinez, an early Presidio soldier, with that of Arnold Smith, one of Los Descendientes’ founders. It is an effort to verify that Mr. Smith is a direct descendant of Lt. Col. Martinez whose remains were exhumed from a Downtown cemetery and relocated to one on the eastside. As Mr. Smith is descended from Col. Martinez’s daughter and a direct male succession is required, Mr. Smith’s cousin Alberto Alonzo Martinez has consented to contribute the DNA material.
The Gran Gala will be held at Tucson’s Desert Diamond Hotel and Casino, 7350 S. Nogales Highway at Los Reales Road. Cost is $75 a person. Festivities begin with no-host cocktails and registration at 6 p.m.
Entertainment will feature Bobby Benton during the Cocktail Hour and the Tom Patrick Band for dancing from 8:15 p.m. untill 11 p.m. in the evening. The Gran Gala will feature a Silent Auction, followed by presentations of honored guests and the dinner dance. The money raised from the festivities will go toward preserving the rich heritage and culture and acquisition of historic structures for artifacts and documents of the Old Pueblo.
The seating for the Gran Gala is limited. For reservations, please call Patricia Benton at 520-792-0120, or Adela Gonzales, 520-269-7719.