Borderlands Literature & Film Circle Presents

Lydia Otero, "Storied Property: María Cordova's Casa"

Wednesday, October 14, 10-11:30am

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Join us for our monthly Borderlands Literature and Film Circle (BLFC) on Zoom. This is a free online event, $10 suggested donation.

We are privileged to host historian and memoirist Lydia R. Otero for a compelling discussion on their newest work, "Storied Property: María Cordova's Casa" (2025). You may remember that we interviewed Lydia in 2023 with their book, “In the Shadow of the Freeways.”  As always, our program is completely free and open to all, but registration is required to participate.  

"Storied Property" tells the essential history of María Cordova, a woman who fought courageously to preserve her home in downtown Tucson, only to be systematically erased from its narrative after the property was seized through eminent domain and later turned into a museum.  Often described as the oldest building in the city, its story is far more complicated than timelines suggest.   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, offering a symbol of the often-repeated, complex story of “preservation” and “urban renewal.”  Otero brings meticulous archival research and deep local heart to this history, restoring dignity and visibility to a vital story of displacement and resistance in Southern Arizona.

The book has already earned significant recognition, including the Gold Medal in West-Mountain Non-Fiction at the 2026 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), a Top Pick in History for the 2026 Southwest Books of the Year by the Pima County Public Library, and a position as a Finalist for Best History Book at the 2026 International Latino Book Awards. Critics praise Otero’s sharp ability to illuminate the intersection of place, public memory, and community belonging.

To view more upcoming BLFC events and the BLFC archive, visit https://bordercommunityalliance.org/blfc.