Two missing Barrios and a historic chapel

To start at the beginning: every time I visit Barrio Viejo it seems to have expanded and gentrified a few more blocks south and east. But Main Avenue has seemed to be some kind of border. The homes to the west of Main remained mostly small, old homes — mostly wood-framed, not as many adobes as on and near Meyer Ave.

But, crossing Main, I discovered a small white church and an adjacent public park on Simpson. Both appeared neat and well-maintained. Were they old?

Well, this led me down a rabbit hole to ancient twin saints and 20th century murals and two interesting doors to the chapel (not a church, a chapel) and two Barrios, El Hoyo and Membrillo which seem to have almost vanished.

Who built it?

In its architectural simplicity and with the bell tower, I wondered if San Cosme was built by the Franciscans ages ago and had been well-maintained over the years. That’s not the case. It was built in 1929 on the site of an old, long-gone chapel using adobe bricks. The locals who built it lived in the Barrios named El Hoyo, Membrillo, Libre, Santa Rosa and Santa Anita. It was consecrated by the Roman church archbishop in 1930. Mass is now held there once a month.

It has unusual doors, front and back. On the front is a white painted metal screen of an indigenous person offering a gift to Our lady of Guadalupe. Above the door the screen continues with two angels, but they are difficult to see in this photo. The back door has a cross on it at an angle–unusual.

My next question was “Who was San Cosme?” It turns out Cosme is one half of a pair of saints. His twin brother and fellow saint was named Damian. They were born in the 300s in Arabia, both were Christian converts, both physicians who did not charge a fee for their services and both were martyred by torture under the rule of Roman Emperor Diocletian and eventually beheaded. Sainthood followed.

Next stop on my way down the rabbit hole was the mural by Luis Gustavo Mena in the shady Parque de San Cosme next to the chapel. I don’t read Spanish but I have tried to figure out the meaning of the images and the words. The caption in red is beyond me, but I’m including it anyway. Other images on the mural painted in 2009 are of musicians, baseball players, children on tricycles, local celebrities and heroes.

The barrio names springing out of the little boy’s heart are obviously where the people lived who built the chapel, but not all remain. While Barrio El Hoyo and Barrio Membrillo are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, they were almost completely destroyed to make way for the Civic Center. Barrio Libre was partially destroyed and has been engulfed by the name Barrio Veijo. Barrios Rosa and Santa Anita still exist.

For whatever it’s worth, Membrillo means Quince and perhaps it was located on a former quince orchard. El Hoyo in Spanish mean The Hole and it was reputed to be a good place to hide out. I wonder if The Wishing Place, El Tiradito, is located on El Hoyo land. It sounds like a place where Juan Oliveras could have met his death. These days it’s the Number One place in Tucson to visit on New Year’s to make a wish for your future. Bring a candle.

Happy 2026 to you! May it be your best year–so far!